Forget Me Not
by Entrancia
Summary: AU. Sakura knows what the police don't know. She knows the truth. That was no accidental fire that took her family away. But the damage is done. She is left alone — and on the run. Who’s a friend? Who means harm? It’s so hard to trust anymore... SxS ExT
1. Anniversary

**Summary**: AU. Sakura knows what the police don't know. She knows the truth. That was no accidental fire that took her family away. But the damage is done. She is left alone—and on the run. Who's a friend? Who means harm? It's so hard to trust anymore... SxS ExT

**Full Summary**: Sakura has the ideal life. Perfect parents, a protective brother, and loyal friends. Never did the idea cross her mind that her happiness could be destroyed. That is, until it actually happens. Sakura is one of many witnesses of a horrible accident, but the only one who knows the truth. During that moment, sweet Sakura is gone as she adapts to the harsh reality, and in her place is someone else. She becomes distrusting, distant, and withdrawn as she wanders through this empty life, with survival as her only objective. Then, along the way she meets both people who will help her, and people who just want to mess her up more. When she encounters the unfathomable Li Syaoran, so unlike anyone she'd ever met before, will he help her recover? Or will he just make things worse? AU fic. Mainly SxS and ExT

**Genre**: Romance/Friendship

**Disclaimer: **I own Cardcaptor Sakura only in my dreams.

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_**F o r g e t – M e – N o t**_

_**B y : E n t r a n c i a**_

_Chapter One: Anniversary_

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The young thrift store volunteer blinked her thickly lined eyes at her next customer. Her mandatory grin faltered, but it was back in an instant. "Here you go," she said, her voice strained. Nozomi, as the cashier's nametag read, handed Sakura her change and a small bag with a t-shirt in it, a huge fake smile plastered on her face. "Have a nice day, sir. Come again."

Sakura flinched. _I'll come again when hell freezes over._

Just to prolong their brief touch, therefore bothering the woman even more, she used both hands to collect her change, her bony fingers covering Nozomi's perfect hand. The cashier's smile didn't leave, but she shuddered lightly.

"Thank you so very much," said Sakura, her voice sugary sweet. She raised her head as she spoke, visibly startling the cashier with her vivid green eyes. It didn't seem possible that a person who dressed as plainly as Sakura could have eyes that bright. "I hope _you_ have an absolutely _rotten_ day, Miss," she added with the same exaggerated sweetness.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" asked Nozomi, confused.

Sakura was about to repeat her sentence, this time with malice, but changed her mind. "Goodbye," she said instead.

She walked out of the thrift store six hundred yen lighter, wishing that all of the cashiers in the world would stop saying, "Have a nice day." They didn't mean it, after all. They said it to all of their customers, most likely to seem "friendly" or something. It was probably in the _Big Book of Things Cashiers Need to Know_.

Chapter Five: Respect. _Don't forget to fake courtesy when conversing with customers, although it's perfectly safe to ditch the smile when dealing with chaperoneless children. But always keep the most important rule in mind for both legals and brats: they have money. _

She sighed. At least it was better than "Get out of my face, punk." Still, why say it if they didn't mean it?

But what she hated more were the phony smiles they gave her—and everyone else—when they scanned the items she had selected. It made her feel as though they were mocking her.

And, dammit, she was a _girl!_ Just because she had her long hair tucked completely into her hat, that volunteer assumed that she was a _sir?_ Stereotypical pig. Not all girls liked to strut around swinging their hips and swishing their hair. Of course, that cashier didn't know a thing. How could she? She was probably one of those confident, hair-swishing girls.

To everyone, Kinomoto Sakura looked like any other teenage girl—in this case, boy—in Japan, only a little dirtier. Hell, with how teenagers were these days, it was impossible to tell anything.

She dug into a shrub and pulled out the roller blades and backpack she had thrown in there before entering the store. _Mustn't let them think that I'd steal anything, _Sakura had thought, a small smirk on her face as she tossed her pale pink backpack into the plant. It _used_ to be pink. Now it looked like it had taken a dip in a vat of coffee.

She decided to just carry the roller blades instead of wearing them. She slung the backpack over one shoulder, making a note to throw away some things in there. It was getting somewhat heavy to lug around everywhere.

The t-shirt bought, and another store put on her "Never to Visit Again" list, she ran the two miles to the tree house she saw earlier, hardly breaking a sweat. _Thank Kami-sama for physical education, _she thought.

The large maple with the rickety tree house came into view when she turned the corner. As she stopped to stare at the great tree, huge even from a distance, someone ran into her, nearly knocking her over. Her backpack slipped off her shoulder, but she held on to the roller blades and t-shirt. She looked up. It was a boy. Her eyes were saucers as she realized that she knew him, recognizing his cold blue eyes and dark complexion.

He sneered at her. "Watch where you're going, bitch." He walked away in an entirely different path towards a group of four girls giggling in Sakura's direction. He obviously did not recognize her or else his reaction would have been completely different. For a crazy moment, Sakura thought about telling him who she was, just to see the look on his face, but quickly decided against it. Scanning the group, she didn't see his sister, which, she decided, was a good thing. There was no telling what Sakura would do if she met that monster of a girl again.

"Bastard. You walked into me, Natsumari," she muttered. She had dropped the honorific she normally would have added to the end of his name long ago. She picked up her backpack, checked it for damages, and, finding none, continued on.

She reached the tree, close enough to see the poor condition of the tree house. It didn't look like it could support her weight. Sakura shrugged inwardly. She'd take the chance. It was the best place she had found in a while. It would provide shelter from the rain. And if she fell through the aged wood and died? _Who would miss me? _she thought dully. _I'm supposed to be dead._

Not trusting the ancient ladder nailed to the trunk of the tree, Sakura threw her roller blades and new shirt into the opening of the house as gently as she could, secured the backpack over both shoulders, and took a running start. Once she neared the tree, she leaped up. She grabbed onto a sturdy-looking branch and swung herself into the house, again thanking Kami, this time for cheerleading.

The tree house, although seeming haphazard and rickety on the outside—splotches of paint splashed on the outer walls, planks tacked to random places, parts drilled away by termites—was rather cozy. First of all, she wasn't dead yet. The floor held, and it wasn't even that splintery. Besides the strong floor, there was a maroon couch, a coffee table smack in the middle of the room, a working battery-operated digital clock on the table, baseball posters taped to the walls, and even a small television. The television wasn't operational, of course. It didn't look like anyone paid the place a visit for a while, judging by the thick spider webs in the corners.

But Sakura wasn't afraid of spiders. Or most things in life. Not anymore.

The first thing she saw when she landed inside the tree house was the sofa. She jumped on it graciously, feeling tired, even though the alarm clock only read 8:21 PM in bright green numbers. The sofa smelled musty, but she didn't mind. She had smelled worse.

_I suppose I could sleep now._ _Nothing else to do, _she thought.

But no matter how hard she tried, Sakura could not fall asleep. She closed her eyes harder, trying to make sheep appear so she could count them, but all that popped up were flashes of horrible events that she never wanted to replay again. She shook her head viciously. The images persisted. She opened her eyes, and her mother's kind face materialized. She felt like pulling her hair out.

After several more failed attempts at getting rid of the pictures in her mind, Sakura gave up and shut her eyes again, trying her best to ignore the images.

The moment she turned around and ran away from her ex-friends, she knew. Sakura knew that she'd never forget what had happened, even in twenty years when she'd be happily married with kids running around her house. (_Pfft, _she scoffed. _Like _that_ would ever happen_.) She knew that she'd see it again in numerous high quality and frighteningly realistic dreams that would plague her uncomfortable nights. And this day, on the one-year anniversary of the disaster that ruined her life, she knew she'd see those events once more.

The events of the day that left her homeless and on the streets.

After what seemed like hours later, but in reality were mere minutes, Sakura drifted off to sleep, allowing the pictures to merge and form moving scenes. They flowed through her head like a sad movie as she entered dream mode: a poignant, angst-filled tragedy that made tears flow down her cheeks every time she saw it.

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**A/N: **What do you think? Good? Bad? Cliché? Let me know in a review. Your comments make me happy, even if they're negative.

Syaoran and the others won't be appearing until at least chapter four. **At least**. So it probably won't happen. But don't get impatient with me. I promise, they'll appear before you know it.

So... yeah. First chapter done and over with. Review?

Until next time,

- Mimi


	2. Nightmare

**A/N:** Yeeaaahh!! I got three reviews! It doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it is to me! It's three more than what I expected. I'm really happy with the amount of hits I received. I'm so motivated. I'll try to finish chapter three as soon as I can.

I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to a certain someone whom I'm pretending to not know **-cough-**DeprivedofChocolate-**cough-**. I know you're busy and all, but we're all dying to see you update! So please do!

This entire chapter is Sakura's dream/flashback. That would explain the italics.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

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_**F o r g e t – M e – N o t**_

_**B y : E n t r a n c i a**_

_Chapter Two: Nightmare_

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_"Sakura-chan," called Nadeshiko. She stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for her daughter. "Sakura-chan? Could you come down here for a moment?" _

_"Good boy! You got it!" Nadeshiko heard Sakura exclaim inside her room. "Come on, let's go see what Mom wants." An instant later, Sakura bounded down the stairs with a black Labrador retriever trotting along happily behind her. She had a pretzel in one hand. "Yes, Mom?" she said. _

_Nadeshiko regarded her daughter suspiciously. "What were you doing up there? You weren't feeding Spinel-san pretzels again, were you?" She frowned for a moment at the memory of Spinel throwing up all over their dinner.  
_

_Sakura shook her head quickly, all wide eyes, obviously remembering what had happened. She had been the one to clean it up since it was her fault. Ick. Truly a scarring experience. "I was just teaching Spinel-san a new trick. The only things I fed him were his doggy treats."_

_"Then what's the pretzel for?" Nadeshiko asked._

_"What, this?" Sakura held up the pretzel. "This is for me." She stuffed the pretzel into her mouth and chewed. "See?" She opened her mouth to show her mother the lumpy goop inside. _

_"Thanks for that," said Nadeshiko sarcastically. Sakura laughed and managed not to choke. _

_"What was the trick you taught Spinel-san?" asked Nadeshiko, watching the Labrador sniff at the light pink backpack her daughter had on._

_"Oh!" Sakura's eyes lit up. "Would you like to see it? We just perfected it a while ago." At her mother's nod, Sakura took off the backpack Spinel was pawing at and pulled out a bag of pretzels. _

_"Now wait just a minute!" started Nadeshiko. "You said those pretzels were for you."_

_"They are," Sakura__ said__. "Spinel-san looks at the pretzel, does the trick, I eat the pretzel, and then we start all over again with a new one." She took a pretzel out of the bag and held it above Spinel, who looked at it excitedly, his tail wagging furiously. _

_"Are you ready, Spinel-san? Ready to show Mom what you can do? Okay, see the pretzel? Now... twist!" ordered Sakura._

_Her mother watched with mild amusement as Spinel sat down and coiled, entwined, and twisted himself into a strange shape. When he was done he resembled a pretzel with a dog's head. Nadeshiko couldn't help but laugh. _

_"That's what you've been spending all your time on?" she asked. _

_Sakura made a swift gesture and Spinel untangled himself. She rubbed her dog's head affectionately. "Of course. Don't you think it's a cool trick? It took us a week to get it right!" _

_"It was a wonderful trick, Sakura-chan." Nadeshiko decided not to tell her that she had practiced the same trick with her dog when she was a girl. Then she remembered what she called her daughter for. "Sakura-chan, could you do me a favor?" _

_Sakura stopped petting Spinel. "Anything. What do you need?" _

_"We're out of bread," said Nadeshiko. She showed Sakura a bag, empty except for a few crumbs at the bottom. "Can you run down to the market and buy another loaf?"_

_"No problem."_

_The older woman smiled. "I can always count on you, Sakura-chan," she said, and gave Sakura a quick hug. "I can count on Touya, too, but he's busy helping your father reorganize the basement," she said as an afterthought, "so you'll do."_

_"I feel so loved."_

_Nadeshiko laughed. "I do love you. Now go."_

_Sakura started to leave, but turned around after she took a step, remembering something. "Mom?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I don't have any money."_

_Nadeshiko frowned. "What about the 82,000 yen you have in that bag of yours?"_

_"My birthday money? I'm putting that into the bank!"_

_"I'm only kidding. Here—" She handed Sakura 700 yen. "That should be more than enough. You can keep what's left."_

_Sakura put it into the pocket of the jacket tied around her waist. "Thanks, Mom. I'll leave now." _

_"I'll see you later, then. I'll be in the basement with Touya and your father if you need to run back into the house for some reason. Those men need a woman's help to get the job right," said Nadeshiko, lightly shaking her head._

_Sakura walked over to the front door where her rollerblading gear lay in a heap on the ground. She slipped them on, put her sneakers into her backpack, and proceeded to the door. As she opened it just a crack, something pushed her hard from behind and stayed on her back. She pitched forward and slammed into the door, closing it again. Her first thought was that it was Touya, but she quickly deemed that unlikely. First of all, her big brother would never try to physically hurt her. _

_Second of all, Touya didn't drool. Nor was he hairy. A hint of a beard or so—he usually shaved it—but not all-over furry._

_"Spinel-san!" laughed Sakura once she saw who it was. "What are you doing?" She gently pried her retriever's paws off her backpack and placed them on the ground. She brushed off some of his fur off her skirt._

_Spinel stood staring at his mistress, not looking happy. He looked... edgy. Scared, almost. He gazed at her intently with his big brown doggy eyes, as if trying to tell her something._

_She patted his head. "I'm just skating down to the grocery store to get some bread. Just wait for me, okay, boy? I'll be home before you know it." _

_Spinel whimpered a response and backed up when Sakura opened the front door._

_"Mom, I'm leaving!" she yelled. She heard an extremely faint "All right" coming from somewhere beneath her. _

_Sakura stepped outside and started to close the door. Spinel let out another whimper. She stuck her head back in to look at him. "I'll be right back, I promise. __See you later.__" Sakura shut the door. _

_She skated along the smooth sidewalk, greeting several people along the way. There was still light out, the sun only starting to set. She moved her feet faster, carefully avoiding pedestrians and automobiles. She nearly skated straight into a man walking with two children, but moved out of the way just in time._

_"Sorry!" she shouted at them._

_"It's all right!" the man shouted back. One of his kids waved at her. Sakura twisted around to return the wave and smashed into a pole. The children giggled. Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully at them and continued skating, rubbing the spot on her head where it got hit._

_It took Sakura ten minutes to get to the grocery store. She sat down on the edge of the street to remove her roller blades and put her shoes on, the store's "No Skates" rule in mind. Once inside the store, it didn't take long to find the bread her mother requested. She also selected a new dog toy for Spinel since he was acting so jittery earlier—a chewy, squeaky bone made of rubber. _

_Sakura was on her way to pay for the items when she accidentally bumped into someone from behind. _

_"I'm so sorry," she apologized quickly. The person turned around, revealing unfriendly, icy blue eyes that contrasted with his tanned skin. She knew him. It was Natsumari Satoshi, a student who took several of the same classes as her. _

_"Oh! Satoshi-kun! Good evening," she said. _

_His eyes were fixed in his usual glare. "It's Natsumari to you, Kinomoto," he growled. "What do you want?"_

_"Oh... I... I just wanted to say hi," she faltered, feeling slightly intimidated. "Is that a problem?" _

_Rather than answering, he gave her a fierce look. "You're really dense, aren't you?" he said finally and stalked away. _

_She blinked. _What was _that_ about?_ she thought. _All I did was say hello.

_She quickly paid for the bread and squeaky rubber bone and left the store, stuffing the items into her backpack. She put her roller blades on and started the ten-minute skate back home. At this point, the sun was at that position where it turned the clouds pink and exposed all the colors of the sky. She'd better hurry if she wanted to get home before it got dark. _

_Sakura pondered over Natsumari's hostile manner while she glided across the street. Actually, he always acted like that whenever she went over to his house. Sakura was best friends with his twin sister, Jouichi, so he was used to seeing her face. And each time he scowled at her and shut himself in his room. Sakura had no idea what she could have done that caused Natsumari to hate her. She never insulted him in any way; on the contrary, she was always trying to do nice things for him, hoping he'd be at least civil back to her, but he'd return her kindness with rudeness. What was his problem? Jouichi was so considerate and soft-spoken that it seemed impossible that her brother could be so mean. _

_Sakura sighed. Twins were always either creepily alike or terribly different. Never in-between. In the Natsumari twins' case, it was the latter. _

_As she skated closer to her house, the feeling hit her that something was off. Terribly off. The sky was very strange looking up ahead. Instead of the pretty orange-red, it was an ominous grey right above where her neighborhood was. Heartbeat quickening, Sakura sped up. In her haste, she forgot to look where her feet went and skated into a deep crack in the ground. She was sent sprawling to the sidewalk. Frustrated with her roller blades, she took them off and tied her shoes on. There wasn't room in her backpack for the roller blades, so she hugged them to her chest instead and ran down another three blocks. _

_Only two more to go. _

_She wasn't close enough to see her house, but she had to be blind in order to not see the massive pillows of black smoke that ascended into the sky. _

No, _she pleaded silently, wishing with all her might that it wasn't what she thought it was. _Dear Kami-sama, please, no.

_Her heart stopped once she stepped into her neighborhood and saw what was happening. Her house—her beautiful, lovely house—was completely engulfed by huge flames. And all around it was chaos. _DO NOT CROSS _tape circled the blaze, policemen patrolling the area. Two fire trucks parked a safe distance away from the heat. A bunch of firefighters swarmed around them, one man yelling out something about insufficient water. Curious neighbors poked their heads out of their homes to watch her house roast, excited that something interesting was happening across from where they lived. Sakura wanted to scream at them all to mind their own businesses and go away._

_There was no trace of her family. _

_Without thinking, Sakura started walking towards her burning home, or rather, what was left of it. A quarter of the roof had already caved in. Parts of the house were starting to fall off and crumble into ashes. _

_She didn't see the firefighter until he grabbed her._

_"Miss! Where do you think you're going?" he barked at her._

_She looked at him. He was a big man, tall and well built with broad shoulders. Just how a firefighter should look. His hand felt rough on her arm._

_"That's my house on fire," she said, more calmly than she felt. "I think my family is still in there. I'd appreciate it if you let me go find them."_

_The firefighter clearly thought she was crazy. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. We don't want you waltzing into a burning house. That's practically suicide!" He let go of her arm. "Now, what was that about your family? They're still in there?" _

_She nodded, getting more impatient by the second. _

_"Hold on for a moment. I need to inform the others," he said. He stuck his hands in his pocket and searched around. "Shit," he swore. "Left the radio back in the truck." _

_He looked at the girl standing by his side. "I need to tell the rest of the firefighters. Stay here," he said sternly. "It's dangerous up there." _

_Sakura waited five seconds after he left then started towards the mess that used to be where she lived. She stopped after two steps. A movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention. Looking closer, she could make out two figures running into the woods behind her house. Her hopes rose at the thought that they could be her parents, but they were quickly crushed by her logical side. If that were the case, why were they running _away _from the firefighters? And where was Touya?_

_She looked around to make sure no one was looking her way, then sneaked off to the woods in the direction of the figures. _

_Whenever Sakura was absorbed with something, she'd often forget where she was. And so she failed to remember that there were many trees in the woods. She smacked her forehead into a low branch as she tried to tiptoe after the pair, and accidentally let out a squeak. She dove behind a large bounder, scraping her arm, just as one of them turned around. _

_"What is it?" she heard it ask._

_Her eyes widened. She knew that voice from somewhere. It was very high, like a little girl's, and she knew she'd heard it many times before, but it kept slipping her mind. With the shock of discovering her house looking like a giant bonfire, she probably couldn't even remember her own name. _

_"I—never mind. I just thought I saw something. It was probably just a raccoon," replied the other person. "Go. Keep moving."_

_That voice was familiar, too. This one was deeper, a male voice._

_They started walking quickly. The trees' thick, leafy canopy blocked enough of the orange sky so that Sakura couldn't see what the two looked like, but she could still see them moving. Carefully, she followed them deeper into the woods, slipping behind trees every so often. They began to talk in frightened, hushed voices. Sakura had to strain her ears in order to hear what they were saying. _

_"Oh, Kami-sama, what are we going to do?" That was the one with the little girl voice._

_"How the hell am I supposed to know? You're the smart one. You figure this out." The guy._

_"I don't know!" The girl sounded near hysterics. "I only meant to set a _small_ fire to her room, just to scare her a bit. Maybe even ruin some of her things. I didn't know that this would happen! I just figured that since Sakura-chan's always in her room, she'd see the fire and put it out. I even heard her move around in there! But then the flames got bigger and bigger without stopping and then we heard the fire engine—"_

_Sakura got a very unusual urge to jump the two right there and beat them to a bloody, disgusting pulp. _

_"It could have been that hell hound of hers you heard messing around in the room. Did that ever occur to you?" _

_"N-no," admitted the girl. She was still for a while, and sat down on a large rock to think about what her partner said. Her behavior, the way she talked, it was all so very familiar to Sakura. As she tried hard to remember, the girl suddenly stood up, startling her. "Why don't we keep walking?" she suggested hesitantly to the boy. "I don't think it's smart to stay here very long."_

_He scoffed. "I didn't think it was smart to burn down that house, either, but we went ahead and did that anyway," he replied, but did as she said and started walking. The girl timidly went after him. _

_They stopped in an area where the trees were spaced farther apart. It was a tad more difficult to hide, but Sakura could see them a little more clearly now. They both wore hooded jackets with the hoods on, despite the summer heat. One was pacing. She assumed it was the girl since she had a skirt on under the jacket. The boy sat at the foot of a tree with knees drawn up to his chest, his arms around them in a hug. He buried his head into his knees. All of a sudden the tough boy seemed like a child._

_"This is all your fault," came the muffled male voice from the person against the tree. "If only you weren't so jealous—"_

_The girl stopped pacing at those words and turned sharply to him. "_Excuse me? I'm _jealous? Who was the one who suggested this whole stupid idea in the first place? You did! If it's anyone's fault, it's yours!"_

_The boy looked up, his face still hidden inside his hood. "Yeah, but who threw the match into her window? Who came barging into my house rambling about how much you hate her? Who begged me to tag along and carry out this messed up plan? I believe it was you." _

_She looked as if she wanted to object, but held it in. She crossed her arms. "Well, can you blame me for hating her? Little Miss Perfect, always helping people out." Her words became spiteful. "She was the teachers' precious pet, with her wonderful grades and constant cheerfulness. Sickening. Absolutely sickening." It amazed Sakura how quickly the girl could change moods. She went on, "She's on the cheerleading squad, but no one hates her because she's always so nice. Even to those geeks and loners. Who the hell does that anymore? Those losers don't deserve attention. It's people like us who deserve it."_

_Sakura still wasn't sure who that girl was, but she was starting to hate her as much as the girl seemed to hate Sakura. And Sakura never hated anyone before. _

Stop talking! _she screamed in her mind. But the girl wasn't done. _

_"What about all those boys? They're virtually drooling every time she walks by them. Every single one of them. Even you! Don't deny it!" she said when he, still until then, raised his head to protest. "I caught you staring at her in every class we have together. You never looked at me that way. Never," she said sadly, clearly having another mood swing as her tone changed. In a second, however, the anger returned. "And look at her parents. Her mother is _still _a model, even at her age, and her father is practically perfect! And her brother is unbelievably hot and shouldn't care about her when he has looks like that, but he does. You can just tell. Who cares if her life is ruined now because she doesn't have a place to live and her family is dead?" _

_She started to cry, pitiful little sobs that should have made Sakura feel sorry for her, but it didn't. All Sakura felt was a bitter numbness at those words. Her mother. Her father. Her big brother. Dead. All of them. And she was supposed to be, too. But she wasn't. _

_The boy made no attempt to stop the girl from her jealous rant. He acted as if he heard it all before and it didn't interest him at all. He waited until his partner-in-crime calmed down. Then he spoke. "Done?"_

_Shakily, she said, "Yes."_

_"Good." He stood up, in control again. "Now what are we going to do?"_

_The girl hiccuped. "D-do about w-what?"_

_"This situation. What else do you think I'm talking about? Within the last thirty minutes, we just burned down someone's house. It wasn't intended, but it was caused by my plan—which, might I add, I was _joking _when I suggested it—and by your hands. It's called arson, in case you didn't know. And we also killed three people and a bitch—"_

_"It's a male dog," said the girl. He must have glared at her because she flinched and squeaked an apology._

_"That's called murder," he continued. "Unintentional, but still murder. Two very serious crimes committed in the same day by the same people. What the hell am I supposed to do about this? I didn't want to go with you in the first place. And now I'm wanted by the police?" He laughed a very scary laugh. "Of course, they think the house burned down by accident. Sakura has no enemies."_

_The girl was crying again. "Stop it! Just—stop it! I never meant for this to happen. It was just a terrible mistake. Everything's my fault. I'm sorry I brought you into this, Koji-kun."_

_Sakura froze at that name. Koji. One of her two best friends. As soon as she heard that, everything became clear. She could see the faces under the hoods regardless it being dark. The girl was Jouichi. Lovable, loyal Jouichi with the brother who hated Sakura's guts. It seemed the twins weren't that different after all._

_She looked at the friendship bracelet on her wrist with disgust. She was a fool to have trusted them for that long, and even more foolish to have not suspected anything. She untied the bracelet Jouichi gave her and let it drop to the ground. Two tears escaped her eyes and slid down her face. They dripped onto the bracelet. After that, the tears came faster and didn't cease._

_"Koji-kun?" said Jouichi apprehensively. _

_"What?" _

_"If Sakura-chan wasn't in her room and she was stuck in some other part of the house... doesn't that mean that we—__we k-ki—" She swallowed hard. "Killed her, too?"_

_Koji looked a little startled by that. "Yeah. I guess... we did. We... killed Sakura. Start crying again and I won't hesitate to leave you in this forest," he snarled as she started tearing up. She looked so scared at the thought of him leaving her that her eyes dried up at once._

_Sakura couldn't bear to listen to any more of it. She got up from the tree she was pressed up against and fled the scene, not caring if they heard her. No, she _wanted_ them to hear her. A branch was in her path. She stepped on it purposely, and it snapped in half with a loud _crack.

_Behind her, Jouichi shrieked and Koji swore. _

_"Sakura-chan!"_

_"Fuck, she heard us!"_

_Sakura ran. She didn't stop when she got out of the woods. She didn't stop when a neighbor saw her and yelled something at her. She didn't even stop when her legs threatened to buckle. She just kept running until she was out of breath. Until she was sure she was far, far away from the murderers in the woods whom she used to call best friends. She disappeared into the unknown._

And then she woke up.

* * *

**A/N: **I enjoyed writing this chapter. But I think it was too dramatic, though. Oh, well. You can really see the difference between the current Sakura and the one a year before.

I'm happy with how this fanfic is turning out. It's COMPLETELY different than the original version, but I like this one better. The other one had too much cussing and other bad stuff.

And HUGE thanks to those three who took a minute out of their lives to review: KamichamaKarinLover25, WhenItAllFallsApart93, and Deprived of Chocolate! You've really made my day.

I won't beg for reviews or threaten to not update if you don't (I have more dignity than that!) but keep in mind that the more reviews I get, the faster I'll post the next chapter. Motivation is the key, people!

Until next time,

- Mimi


	3. Comrade

**A/N**:-Hops up and down excitedly- Yay! I've only gotten five more reviews, and I don't care! It means that people are still alive and they're reading what I wrote! Five is way more than what I wanted. Thank you all SO much.

I want to send a special shout-out to WhenItAllFallsApart93and Deprived of Chocolate for reviewing both chapters. If I could bake, I'd mail giant cookies to you guys! But I'm good at origami, so have origami cookies instead! You know what? Paper cookies for EVERYONE!

Please bear with me through the parts in the beginning. In my opinion, it's kind of boring, but rather essential to know. I promise, something WILL pop up.

**Disclaimer**: Cardcaptor Sakura will never be mine. -sigh-

* * *

_**F o r g e t – M e – N o t**_

_**B y : E n t r a n c i a**_

_Chapter Three: Comrade_

* * *

Sakura lay where she was, breathing heavily. For a blissful moment, she believed that the dream was just a dream and that she was actually safe at home, not inside an old tree house. She turned her head and saw a digital alarm clock that was not hers. It read 9:12 PM. Then she noticed that she was on a maroon couch half eaten by moths and remembered that she hadn't been home for a year.

She forced her eyes shut when felt the tears come. _I will not cry any more, _she thought fiercely. _Crying would give Onii-chan a reason to tease me, even... even up there. For him—for _them_—I'll stay strong. I will not break down. No more crying. No more tears... _

When sleep took over, Sakura did not dream. Her face had dried by the time she fell into the state of deep slumber, but the scent of her tears still lingered on her cheeks.

* * *

Nobody was watching her. Nobody was around. But just to make sure, Sakura did a full three-sixty-degree turn, then picked up the disappointingly thin wallet hiding in the grass. She peeked within the leather confines.

She counted a total of 6,440 yen inside. Not bad. Besides that, there was also a broken toothpick, a gas bill, a photo of young man with a girl—presumably his girlfriend—leaning up to kiss him, a square of aluminum foil, and two credit cards. Sakura took the money (the owner wouldn't _really_ miss it), but she wasn't evil enough to steal the cards. As she started to close the wallet, she caught a flash of something white sticking out of one of the pockets. She pulled it out to examine it. It was slightly stiff, but when she pulled it in her hands, it gave and stretched like a deflated balloon would. It even looked like one, being made of a thin, translucent, rubber-type material shaped like one of those long balloons used for twisting into animals, only the opening was wider. She had no idea what it was, or whether it would be useful or not, so she pulled her hat down so it shaded her eyes, stopped a lone woman across the street, and showed the balloon-thingy to her.

The woman gave Sakura an odd look. "Honey, that's a used condom," she said. She continued on her business, leaving Sakura standing there staring blankly at the item in her hand.

It wasn't until the woman turned a corner did her words register in Sakura's head. When they did, she shrieked and dropped the thing as if it were a hot potato, wiping her hands furiously on her pants. She already knew what condoms were and what they were used for because her mother had told her. She had even seen them before when she stumbled upon them accidentally under Koji's bed—while looking for her shoe—during one of her visits, all wrapped in foil inside their proper box. But never had she seen an open, _used _one that was still crusty with who-knows-what. She shuddered. After all this time on the streets, there were still many things she would rather not know.

Then she spotted the leather wallet laying at her feet. It must have slipped out of her hands during the whole condom episode. She bent down to collect it. Something, or rather, some _things_ tumbled out and plummeted to the ground as she retrieved the wallet. They were small and flat and _clinked _when they hit the cement floor.

Although she was sure they weren't condoms, she hesitated before picking up the items. When she saw what they were, Sakura nearly jumped for joy. They were her tickets to her next destination.

Well, not tickets, to be exact. They were train tokens, something that could get her to another place in Japan so people in this area would forget her presence. She placed them safely into the pocket of her jacket, relishing the fact that her sore feet would get a break. She put the wallet back where she found it. If they guy who owned it was smart or at least had some common sense, he'd retrace his steps and would spot his wallet right away.

Not three seconds after she had run away from her house, it dawned on Sakura that she was a wanted girl. She was the only living member of her immediate family and surely the police would be hunting for her, wanting to capture her, question her, then send her off to one of the few relatives she had left. She was sure it would be her great-aunt Kira living in Korea—a woman so unpleasant that even the former Sakura couldn't stand to be around her for more than a few minutes. She wouldn't have minded it so much if she was sent to live with her great-grandfather, but he had passed away five months ago from old age.

So Sakura decided to disguise herself. And hide.

Right after Sakura had calmed down enough to think rationally, the first place she went to was a store that offered clothes at low prices. True, Sakura knew she was slow when it came to most things, but she wasn't stupid. If she waited even one more day to buy new clothing, the fire would have already been put into the news, and everyone would know all the details: that Sakura had run away; that she was last seen wearing a white skirt, a blue tank top, and had a jacket tied around her waist; that she was the only Kinomoto left; that she had green eyes and long auburn hair; and that she was a seventeen-year old girl, five-feet-three inches tall on her fourteenth birthday, her blood type was A and she enjoyed roller blading, swimming, and cheerleading. She needed to obtain her disguise before that happened, or else the people in the shops would take one look at her and holler for the police.

She sacrificed a part of her birthday money to buy a simple, unembellished, white cap, similar to the one she had to wear in elementary school except in a large size, to cover her hair. Then she purchased a plain long-sleeved shirt, also white, with a grey, zip up, fleece vest over it and a pair of black pants—an outfit she generally wouldn't wear because of its lack of color. But she thought it was for the best. People all over Asia would be looking for a brightly dressed girl with gorgeous hair the color of honey, skipping down the street as if her life weren't a giant screwed up mess. They wouldn't expect that this Sakura—who never skipped, rarely smiled, wore dark colors, and wasn't afraid break most rules—was the same girl who went missing a year before.

Her initial plan, during that moment when she _wasn't _thinking rationally, was to commit suicide. End her life then and there by jumping into the path of a speeding car. Quick and easy so she could be with her family as soon as possible.

Then the haze in her mind cleared up, the haze that caused her to consider stupid things, and she could think properly again. Her conscience screamed at her, sounding oddly like Touya. Suicide was a definite NO. If she offed herself, Koji and Jouichi would win. Although technically she would not have died at their hands, it would be _because_ of what they had done. So, they would be victorious. Sakura couldn't let that happen. She needed to avenge the deaths of her family members. The only way to do that was to stay alive. No self-killing. Her vengeance wouldn't have to be that extreme, of course. As horrible as the accident was, Sakura could never muster up enough hatred to stoop to their level. A bit, or rather, _a lot_ of misery inflicted on them would be sufficient for her.

But she couldn't do it. Not yet, at least. She couldn't bear to face the two people who reduced her life to... this. No. It was too soon. She first had to be able to prove to them that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. She would return to them someday to carry out her revenge and to show them that she was alive and—_somewhat_ well, but for the time being, she would wait. That was when she made the decision to travel.

Her adventure begun then.

She started out in the charming city of Hikari, Yamaguchi, where her house was located, and made her way up into northern Japan. She traveled at her own pace, often exploring a city for a week before heading on to the next, staying long enough to be able to identify the new place, but not so long that she'd be recognizable to its inhabitants. She was currently somewhere in the Tokyo area, a place so busy and crowded that blending in was easy.

Sakura's stomach growled suddenly, demanding to be satiated. She groaned. It was only ten in the morning, two hours after she woke, and already she was hungry. Usually, she would rest until eleven, but she wasn't used to the luxury of having something proper to sleep on, like the sofa. She much preferred the hard, flat floors of the many alleyways she came across during her travels, no matter how uncomfortable they were. Waking early meant that she needed to eat three times a day instead of the usual two. She ate less food in a typical day than a normal person did during dinnertime.

She walked into the supermarket with one intention, and that did not involve spending money.

Sakura planned to steal.

Thievery was the only option she had if she wanted to eat. Once in a while, she would have to pay for an item if it was too bulky for her to sneak into her pocket or hide beneath her baggy vest. Unless a purchase was necessary, she would just take what she needed, and _only _what she needed. It was never a matter of what she wanted, only what was essential to survive.

Stealing was easy. She just had to be certain that the aisle was free of mothers on errands or confused fathers with shopping lists or those pesky security cameras. When she was alone, she'd walk up to the desired food item, act casual even though no one was around, and quickly shove it into her pocket. And that was it. Generally, though, her meal would be a piece of fruit, which was displayed out in the open, requiring a little more work to obtain. She was caught once when she tried to smuggle a grapefruit into her jacket and got kicked out. She went without dinner that day.

At the beginning of her travels, she paid for everything. Then, reluctantly and without any other choices, she started stealing. But she would be so guilt-ridden afterwards, she'd run back into the store and she would toss the money owed at the perplexed cashiers. But by the end of her first month out on the streets, she stopped paying. When the second passed by, there was no more remorse as she took what she wanted.

Sakura headed over to the fruits and produce section of the market. She effortlessly swiped three small apples and slipped them underneath her vest. She held her arms over her stomach where the fruits were—pretending she had a stomachache—to prevent them from slipping out. She exited the store without getting caught, though one woman kept giving her distrustful glances every now and then.

She retrieved her belongings—the backpack and roller blades, carefully concealed in yet another bush—and took out the apples. She put them into her backpack and, satisfied that she would have decent meals that day, went off in search for an area to sit down. She turned a corner and gasped in delight. She saw the perfect place.

It was an absolutely beautiful park, but not like any park she had ever seen. This one was _huge_. The ones in Hikari were small, but in a quaint way. Nevertheless, they often only featured a couple benches, a slide for the kids, some skinny trees, and lots of grass. Hikari was famous for its lush grass.

This park appeared to have everything: perfect stone footpaths, a neat lawn, dozens of benches, several gazebos, picnic tables, public grills, thousands of vibrant flowers, a large playground, and so much more. It even had a grand fountain in the middle of the park. Crystal-clear water spurted out of the top and flowed down the sides.

Sakura sat down on a bench across from the fountain and removed an apple from her backpack. She bit into it slowly, savoring the slightly tart fruit. Eating things like apples, oranges, bananas, and other various fruits kept her healthy, but, lacking protein, it also caused her to lose quite a bit of weight and muscle. The clothes she had bought right after the fire used to fit her. Now they hung off her like coats on a coat rack.

She took the last bite of apple and threw the core into the grass, not seeing any wastebaskets around; it was biodegradable, anyway. She walked over to the fountain and stuck her sticky hands into the water to rinse them off. Sakura turned around to get her things.

And nearly tripped over something stretched out on the ground.

Sakura, after regaining her balance, glanced down. The thing she almost fell over was merely a sleeping dog. It had a collar on it, so it probably belonged to another person in the park. She paid no attention to it and moved around the dog to return to the bench, but froze in her tracks when it let out a soft whimper. A very _familiar_ whimper. Slowly, Sakura turned around.

A Labrador retriever. Black fur. A blue collar. The same one Sakura herself had selected. Big brown eyes gazing blankly into space. It couldn't be—

"Spinel-san?" she whispered, staring at the dog with shock and disbelief.

At the name, the dog lifted its head and moved its tail feebly. That was all the confirmation she needed.

"It _is _you!" she cried, and knelt down to his side. She scooped him into her arms and held him close, tears sliding down her cheeks. He was considerably lighter, she noticed. His ribs protruded scarily. "I've missed you so much," she said into his fur. He smelled horrible, but at that moment, she didn't care. She let go of her dog and started to rub his back soothingly.

"What's happened to you, boy?" murmured Sakura. "Have you been wandering around all this time?"

Then, without warning, Spinel jerked his head up, ears twitching. He appeared to be listening to something. When he started squirming in her arms, Sakura released him.

"What is it? Do you hear something?" she asked him.

He stood up unsteadily, one of his hind legs clearly broken, and began to hobble away towards a noise only he could hear. Sakura allowed him to move in front of her. She worriedly followed him.

"Spinel-san," she said, "where in the world are you—" She halted abruptly when she saw what was ahead. "Oh my..."

Spinel had led her directly into a chain link fence that seemed to stretch for miles. But that wasn't the cause of her sudden stop. The thing stuck in the fence was.

A puppy. Howling and whimpering from the pain in his back where the fence dug into his skin. He couldn't have been more than a week old.

Sakura looked at Spinel. It seemed like he was trying to free the poor creature from the wire trap, judging by the way he scratched at the fence. But whenever his paw made contact with the metal, the puppy would let out the most heartbreaking cry Sakura had ever heard. She opened her mouth to question Spinel—not expecting an answer, of course—about the small animal.

Then she saw it. Another dog, a miniature poodle, was half buried in some weeds close by. But she wasn't moving. She appeared to be napping, but when Sakura moved closer to observe her, she saw that her chest was still.

Dead.

_A poodle! _thought Sakura. It suddenly came to her attention that the trapped puppy was a Labradoodle, a crossbreed that was half poodle, half... Labrador retriever! She instantly put two and two together, her eyes flickering from the motionless poodle to her dog to the little one still ensnared in the fence.

_Oh! The puppy! _She mentally smacked herself for even momentarily forgetting the animal.

With one hand, she yanked the fence up high enough for the pup to wiggle through. When he refused to move, she nudged him forward from behind with her free hand, and he crawled out, immediately rushing to his father's side. Sakura restored the fence and went to join the reunited family.

"That's some baby you've got there," she said to her dog, sitting crosslegged on the ground. "It's too bad I never got to meet the mother."

She saw the puppy sitting next to Spinel. He didn't resist when she reached over to pet him, and when she did, her hand touched something wet.

"You're bleeding!" exclaimed Sakura, inspecting the blood on her fingers. "Come on, let's go wash it out," she said to the puppy, and lifted him up. He was so tiny she could fit him in one hand.

"Stay here, boy," she ordered Spinel. "I don't want you walking with that—Spinel-san, what is it?" She set the puppy down and stooped to examine her dog.

She saw that he was extremely weak, weaker than when she ran into him, literally speaking, lounging near the fountain. She sat down and pulled his head into her lap. At once, she sensed that something was wrong. His body temperature had decreased greatly, his breathing irregular and fitful.

Sakura knew these signs, having read them before in a book she had borrowed from a library when she first got Spinel. Instead of panicking, she cradled him in her arms and shut her eyes. She felt Spinel's pup climbing up her leg and into her lap, not wanting to be left out of the touching moment. Despite the situation, she smiled. Quietly, she started to sing to her dying companion. It was a lullaby that Nadeshiko had taught her years ago.

_"Goodnight, my angel  
Time to close your eyes  
And save these questions for another day  
I think I know what you've been asking me  
I think you know what I've been trying to say  
I promised I would never leave you  
And you should always know  
Wherever you may go  
No matter where you are  
I never will be far away." _

The puppy stood up on Sakura's thigh and walked over to his father, using her leg as a bridge. He sniffed Spinel inquisitively.

_"Goodnight, my angel  
Now it's time to sleep  
And still so many things I want to say  
Remember all the songs you sang for me  
When we went sailing on an emerald bay  
And like a boat out on the ocean  
I'm rocking you to sleep  
The water's dark  
And deep inside this ancient heart  
You'll always be a part of me." _

Spinel's eyes fluttered shut.

_"Goodnight, my angel  
Now it's time to dream  
And dream how wonderful your life will be  
Someday your child may cry  
And if you sing this lullaby  
Then in your heart  
There will always be a part of me." _

And didn't open again.

_"Someday we'll all be gone  
But lullabies go on and on...  
They never die  
That's how you  
And I  
__Will be." _

Sakura wasn't surprised to find herself crying, as she did whenever she sang this song to herself in her lonely nights in the alleys, the tears dripping off her chin and onto Spinel's fur. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

_At least I was there for him, _she thought. _At least I got to hold him._

She hugged him one final time before letting go. "Goodbye... Spinel-san," she whispered. "I'll take good care of your baby." She got up, glancing at the bouncy puppy, still far too young to understand what had happened.

"I need a leash for you," she said, shaking her head lightly, forcing herself to be cheery. An idea came to her as she looked at Spinel. She removed the collar from his neck, murmuring, "I'm sorry." From her backpack, she pulled out her old nightgown and easily tore a long, narrow strip out of it. She fastened one end of the strip to the collar, created a small loop with the other end, and approached the puppy with it. He seemed to know that he wasn't going to like whatever she had in store for him and attempted to escape. He wasn't quick enough. Sakura held the struggling puppy in her hands and slipped the collar over his neck, tightening it as much as she could without suffocating him. She held onto the loop she made, not letting him get away.

"I can't have you running away from me," she said. He stopped wriggling around and sat down when she spoke, as if he was listening to her. "I am your new mistress and you are to obey me. Understand?"

For a moment, she thought he did. But then, after a second of staring at her, he lifted up one leg and peed into the dirt.

Sakura clapped a hand to her face. "Suppi..."

It came out suddenly and unexpectedly, but Sakura instantly fell in love with the name. She loved the way it sounded and how it fitted the puppy perfectly. A cute name for a cute dog.

"That's it. From now on, your name shall be Suppi!" she declared. "Isn't it lovely?"

Suppi wrinkled his little wet nose in obvious distaste.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him. "Too bad. That's your name and you will learn to love it. Now, let's go get you cleaned up." She grabbed onto his leash and dragged the reluctant Suppi to the fountain.

* * *

"Suppi-chan! Hold still!"

Sakura ducked just as Suppi kicked some water at her, aimed at her face.

She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. "If you refuse to let me wash that cut of yours, it will get infected and you will die and I'll live the rest of my life in guilt knowing that I couldn't save you. Now, do you really want that to happen?" she scolded.

Suppi ducked his head under the water and paddled away.

"Suppi-chan!" cried Sakura tiredly. "Come back here!"

He ignored her and swam further away. She let him have his moment of rebellion, but as soon as he came close enough to her, she leaned over as far as she could and scooped him out of the fountain. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and toppled into the water with a scream.

When she got out, the entire top half of her body was soaked. "You're a lot more trouble than you're worth," she muttered to Suppi, removing him and her wet cap from the water. She tied the makeshift leash to the leg of a bench, preventing him from escaping while she changed.

Five minutes later, she was—mostly—dry, having switched into her blue tank top.

She wrung out her hair and glimpsed at Suppi, who was shaking the water out of his fur.

"At least you're clean," she sighed.

She neatly folded her clothes and placed them into her backpack. She'd let them dry once she returned to the tree house. She took her shoes off, putting the roller blades on in their place. She skated over to Suppi and untied the leash from the bench.

"You're coming with me now, Suppi-chan, whether you like it or not," she said, hoisting the puppy up and holding him securely in her arms. She skated her way out of the park. "Just wait," she told the squirming Suppi. "When we're back in the tree house, you can run around all you want. But for now, stay."

He didn't listen, so Sakura tightened her grip on him and kept moving.

They passed by dozens of houses and buildings that she didn't recognize, and Sakura was sure that she was lost until she turned and found herself in a familiar street. All she had to do was take a right turn and keep going straight.

She grabbed onto the pole of a stop sign to swing herself around the corner, and the next thing she knew, she was somehow on the ground. There was this stinging pain in her arms and legs and face and her head throbbed and everything else _hurt_ and vaguely she heard Suppi barking two blocks away and there was this pair of concerned blue eyes hovering above her and then everything faded away to... nothing.

* * *

**A/N**: This chapter took a long time to finish. I started writing it before I posted the first chapter of this story. Forgive me if the whole scene with the dogs was... not good. I always have trouble with mushy parts. But now it's done, and I can move on to the more exciting things.

I am not sure how things are priced in Japan since I have never visited the place. I just converted American dollars into Japanese yen. So 6,440 yen would be equivalent to sixty-something dollars. I think.

I'm not sure where I got the lyrics of the lullaby from. All I know is that the title of it is "Goodnight, My Angel." It is not mine. I hope you actually read it because the lyrics are very beautiful and fitting.

I'm sorry to say this, but I'll be taking a day or two off from writing. Not that I want to, but because I have to. It's apparent that I have neglected my summer work for far too long. And if I don't finish it before September 4th, six zeros will be on my conscience. I am SO screwed.

Understand that my grades mean everything to my parents. If my grades go down, my scholarship will cease to exist, therefore my dad will have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for my school tuition. He won't be happy if that happens. And if he's not happy, there goes my freedom. It will just take me a little longer to update. Give me a minimum of six days and a maximun of ten. If I take longer than that, feel free to send me a very angry message. I won't hate you. But if you review I might try to write something in-between my summer torture -wink wink, nudge nudge-

Until next time,

- Mimi


	4. Third

**A/N:** Hello. Remember me? You know, the one who promised to update within six to ten days but actually took three weeks? Hi again. So, um... yeah. This chapter took a _teensy_ bit longer than I had thought.

I'm not going to take the next hour apologizing on my late update because it would fill up twenty pages. Just know that I'm really, really, REALLY sorry for taking so long. It's just that I have at **_least_** two and a half hours worth of homework everyday—more on the weekends—and I'm exhausted by the end of the day. I also wake up at 4:00 every morning to do even _more _homework. Not to mention I do work in school _before _school and during lunch. I have no life. Now that my summer reading (Remember? I mentioned it years ago?) essay prompts are done and over with, I'm a little more relaxed. Still, I think I failed the religion prompt. Didn't even finish... Please be compassionate and not yell at me. I'll try to work as fast as I can on the next chapter.

Argh, you updated before I did, Deprived of Chocolate! You know what, I'm just going to call you Choco, because it sounds so much cuter.

Warning: This chapter is even less exciting than the previous chapter, but it's still important. I would have made it longer, but that would have taken me another week, and I really don't want to wait anymore. Go reread Choco's work. Hers is packed with emotion.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Card Captor Sakura.

* * *

**_F o r g e t – M e – N o t_**

**_B y : E n t r a n c i a_**

_Chapter Four: Third_

* * *

A killer headache. That was what Sakura woke up to sometime later. That, and pain. All over.

_Ugh, my head, _was her first thought.

Then, _Where _am_ I? _

She was obviously laying flat on her back, with nothing underneath her, because when she opened her eyes she was greeted by the sky. The night sky. Just how long had she been out?

More importantly, _what happened?_

She heard soft footsteps coming from her left side. Instinctively she sat up, but was forced back down by the pain that burst from every inch of her body. Her head accidentally slammed onto the ground. Stars exploded before her eyes.

"_Owwww,"_ she moaned.

The footsteps quickened and stopped when they reached her. A figure sat down next to Sakura.

"Please try not to move," the person said quietly, calmly. She assumed it was male by the deep voice. "I've treated your injuries as best as I could, but you are still very sore. Take this. It should help with your head."

Sakura tilted her head. It—_he_ was holding something wrapped inside a napkin and a bottle with liquid inside. Sakura squinted at them, but it hurt her face to do so.

He saw her looking. "It's medicine and water," he explained, still keeping his voice down. "The pill will help reduce your headache." He held out the items, expecting her to take them.

She didn't. She only stared at him vacantly, remembering the rule she created: _Never show emotion. _

After a few seconds, the boy placed the water and medicine on the ground. He stood up. "I'll be right back. Please, take the medicine. I went through... a lot of trouble obtaining it," he said, somewhat mysteriously. He left.

She watched his retreating form kept her face a blank, revealing nothing. Inside her head, however... that was a different story. Conflicts arose.

_He's a human. And he's talking to me. This is NOT good. He's going to recognize me, I know it! _she thought frantically.

**_If he recognized you, why haven't you been turned in to the police?_** a voice that was not hers argued.

_Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing in my head? _

**_I am that inner voice inside your mind that tells you logical things. Everybody has one. _**

_Hah. I knew that. Oh, wait—if that's so, why do you sound like Onii-chan? _

**_I have adopted the voice of someone close to you. Would you rather it be someone else? _**

_I... guess so. It just doesn't seem like Onii-chan unless you insert a "monster" into your sentences, and I don't find it very normal to have my inner voice insulting me. _

**_Very well—Here, how about this one? It is your friend Jouichi's, I believe._**

_Please change it if you want me to refrain from clawing at my head. _

**_Forgive me. I have forgotten about your... delicate situation._**

_Just. Change. It. _

**_Yes, yes... Does this voice please you?_**

_Dad... Did you _have _to choose him? _

**_Would you want to hear Koji's voice instead?_**

NO!_ Dad's is fine._

**_Good._**

_Sooo... Why are you talking to me again? _

**_Oh. That. I noticed that you don't trust the boy who just went away._**

_How do you know that?_

**_You haven't taken the medicine he has given you._**

_That's because he probably poisoned it._

**_You don't know that._**

_Yes I do. People can't be trusted._

**_You trusted your family._**

_Yeah, because they were_ family.

**_They were still people. _**

_But I can't trust that—that—stranger! I don't even know his name!_

**_Then get to know him. Not everyone you meet will be like your friends Jouichi and Koji. _**

EX_-friends. And he _could_ be like them._

**_I'm sure he isn't._**

_Why do you say that?_

**_He seemed concerned about your condition. He's brought you medicine. He treated your wounds. _**

_That proves nothing._

**_Just talk to him. I'm sure his kindness is sincere. _**

_..._

_..._

_...  
_

**_Well?_**

_...Fine. I'll talk to him. But if he turns out to be a rapist, I'm blaming you._

**_Of course. _**

The boy came back then, carrying her roller blades. Sakura hadn't moved. He frowned. "Why didn't you take the pill? It would really help that headache of yours."

Sakura carefully sat up—wincing at her aching body—to ask him for his name. However, different words burst out of her mouth. "Did you rape me?"

She cringed. _What did I say _that _for?_

He almost dropped the roller blades. "What? No... I... didn't rape you," he said slowly.

"You could be lying."

_Ehh, I might as well find out the truth. _

"But I'm not. I don't lie," he said coolly, swiftly regaining his composure. He set her roller blades down.

He sounded and looked sincere, but she wasn't going to let him get away that easily. "How did I get here?" she shot at him.

"I carried you," he responded in his serene manner.

"Did you touch me in a way that was inappropriate?"

"No."

"A likely story."

"I'm glad you see it my way."

"You know what I meant!" She tried to glare at him, but she was unsuccessful because her head began to throb painfully and without warning. Her hand involuntarily went to her head to try to stop the dizziness. In an instant, the boy was there to steady her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said automatically. Then she lifted her head, and, as green eyes met blue, she realized what just slipped out of her mouth and slapped the boy away. "Don't touch me!" she shouted, backing up as far as she could go, which wasn't very far. There was about two feet of space between Sakura and the brick wall behind her. As soon as she became aware of that and the fact that there were two other walls, something else came to her attention. The place she was in was narrow and long. It was also outside, which could only mean one thing. She was in another alleyway.

"What am I doing in an alley?" she asked, momentarily forgetting the conversation they had five seconds earlier.

The boy sighed. "If I tell you, will you promise not to hit me?" He didn't appear to be joking.

Sakura paused. He was obviously suggesting that she was not going to like what he was about to say. But his question made her relax, if only slightly. It didn't sound like something a bad person would say. Maybe her inner voice was right. The boy might be harmless after all.

"I won't hit you," she assured him.

"Then may I sit next to you?" he asked, almost timidly, as if afraid of her reply.

"Go ahead," she said, barely hesitating this time. She was nearly sure he wasn't a rapist now. Rapists would never ask for permission.

**_Or would they? _**came her inner voice, sounding just like her father.

_You again? Weren't you just telling me to try to trust the boy?_

**_Yes, but my job is to mess with you. You'll see how irritating I can be._**

_Great._

The boy settled down against the wall beside her, and she could see him a little better. His dark hair looked navy blue in the night, so she guessed that it was black. She could also see that his deep blue eyes were bespectacled, and they seemed permanently grave. He suddenly looked up. Sakura looked straight into his eyes and saw a bit of his uncorrupted soul, and she knew he could see a part of hers: her distrustful, hardened one. Hurriedly she turned away, but not before she saw what was in that nonchalant gaze. She blinked. Hidden behind that seriousness was a spark of something... different. Was that mischief she saw?

The boy sighed again and leaned back. "I suppose first things first. I'm sorry," he said solemnly.

Sakura was perplexed at the random apology. "For what? I thought you helped me."

He nodded. "I did help you, but it's my fault you're hurt."

She didn't understand. How was it his fault? Only if he... "You _did _rape me?" she said, aghast, scooting away.

He held up a hand in front of him as if to plead something... or to protect himself. "I swear on my life that I have never touched you that way. Nor anyone else," he added quickly when Sakura looked as if she were about to question him.

He seemed honest. _Still..._

The boy noticed her doubt. "Do I _look_ like a rapist?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. It's always the quiet ones who crack first," said Sakura seriously.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm only joking," she said, a hint of a smile showing on her face. "Go on. Why are you apologizing?"

"Oh." He sat up straighter. "I'll just skip to what happened before you make any more nutty conclusions. I bumped into you as you turned a corner."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. That's it? _You bumped into me? _That was how I got these?" She showed him the bandages around her arms, hands, and legs.

"Actually, now that you mention it, it does seem rather pathetic," he said with a laugh. "But you weren't exactly covered head to toe with protective gear. The shirt you're wearing doesn't even have sleeves." He gestured at her tank top. It was ripped in some areas.

"I have a good reason for that," she said defensively, hastily holding together a part of her torn top that was showing too much skin, "of which I will not tell you."

"Then I won't ask," he responded smoothly. "I feel I have invaded your life far too much already."

Sakura didn't want to believe it, but she was beginning to like him. He was unlike any other person she had ever met before, this serious, kind, polite, and as much as she _hated _to admit it, charming boy.

"If I were you, I wouldn't look at your wounds just yet," he advised as she started to lift up a corner of the bandage around her right forearm. "Some of them are rather... intense looking."

Sakura winced. "Why am _I_ so banged up and have this horrible headache, yet _you're_ in perfect condition? Do you have a logical answer for that?" she demanded, slightly sour at the fact that she had fallen into his charms.

Even in the dark she could see his smile. Or smirk. "I do, actually," he said. "It's really fairly simple. I was walking and you had roller blades on. You were going very fast, and when we collided, we both were sent to the ground. Because I was wearing shoes, I saved myself from much pain and only ended up with this minor scratch." He lifted his arm, showing Sakura an untreated, nasty-looking scrape.

_That doesn't look minor, _she thought uneasily, averting her eyes from the bloody gash.

"But you," he said, "ended up much worse. You have that headache because your head slammed—quite hard, I'm afraid—into a nearby building when you fell. I doubt that it's damaged or fractured, but that's only a guess. I'm no doctor."

She brought her hand to her head. "So, I'm going to be okay? Nothing's wrong?"

He merely smiled and slowly uncurled his fingers. "If you take this pill you should be fine."

Sakura sighed loudly, but she took the napkin from him. She grabbed the bottle of water on the ground and unscrewed the cap. "If I die, know my ghost will haunt you forever," she warned him. She swallowed the pill and water and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But three minutes went by with neither of them moving, and Sakura was still breathing, her head continued to pound, and she felt no changes whatsoever.

"See?" said the boy. "I didn't do anything to the medicine, seeing how you're still alive."

She scoffed. "Most poisons take _time_ to attack the body. You'll see, I'll be dead by midnight. By the way, what time _is_ it?"

He briefly glanced at the sky. "It should be about nine or so. You've been unconscious for ten hours."

That triggered something important in her brain. She promptly stood up, ignoring her body's painful protests. "Suppi-chan! Where's Suppi-chan?" she gasped.

The boy frowned, also getting up. He was much taller than Sakura, at least by half a foot. "Sorry, who?" he asked.

"My puppy! He's a tiny black pup with a homemade leash, just born a week ago. Have you seen him?_" _she cried.

"A puppy? I think I know what you're talking about. Wait here," he said and exited the alley. A minute later he returned, and in his hand sat Suppi.

"Suppi-chan!" exclaimed Sakura with relief. She hurried over and reached out her hands, but abruptly pulled them back when Suppi tried to bite her. "You're definitely my Suppi-chan," she confirmed happily.

The boy placed the pup on the ground and handed Sakura the leash. He was grinning. "It's nice to see you smiling for a change."

She pretended to not hear that. Instead, she said, "How did you find him? I last remember him running down the street before I blacked out."

He shrugged. "Truthfully, I didn't do anything. The dog—Suppi-chan, was it?—found _me_. I knew he was yours so I tied his leash to a street post to keep him from running away. But..." He frowned. "Does he not like you? I had to keep him from biting you numerous times."

Sakura gave another smile, although this one was more of a grimace. "No, he doesn't like me. He seems to like you, though," she said, watching Suppi try to climb up the boy's leg.

"He hasn't caused me any trouble yet," he said, gently detaching the dog from his pants.

All of a sudden Sakura remembered that she was talking to a person whose name she didn't even know. She saw her roller blades and backpack laying a few feet away. She went over to get them.

"Listen. Thanks for helping me. I'm extremely, _extremely_ grateful and all, but I really need to... go home. My parents must be worried out of their minds," she said without looking at the boy, rapidly gathering her things.

She turned away from him. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, really, I do, but I must leave. So... bye. Let's go, Suppi-chan." She tugged on his leash and he reluctantly followed her. She made it to the entrance of the alley when she heard his reply.

"How can you go home... if there's no home for you to return to?" he asked quietly.

She froze in her tracks. Sakura moved to face him, her eyes large and fearful.

"How did you know that?" she whispered.

He smiled softly. "Your name is Kinomoto Sakura, am I right?" He took her stunned silence as a _yes. _"I saw you in the news. Twice, to be exact," he explained.

That gave her a jolt. "Twice?"

"Once a year ago and one just today."

"What did it _say?_"

He thought for a while. "I think the first one mentioned that you were a seventeen-year old girl, the only surviving Kinomoto of a fire, last seen wearing—"

"I meant the one today!"

"Oh. Not much. It just repeated what it said a year ago, and that you had been spotted a day before."

"That's impossible," murmured Sakura. "How did they know...?"

"You don't look that different from the photo on TV," he pointed out. "The only differences are your hair and—excuse me—your weight."

"Then help me!" she cried suddenly, desperately. She dug into her backpack and pulled out a pair of scissors. She ran up to the boy and thrust it into his hands. "I can't do anything about my weight, but I _can_ change my hair. Do me this favor and cut it for me," she begged.

"You want a complete stranger who knows nothing about hair cutting to be your barber?"

"I don't care! Just do it!" Sakura turned around with her back to him. "If it's ugly, who'd care? I wouldn't be recognizable that way."

"You're sure about this?" he asked. "Your hair is very pretty."

"Yeah, I love my hair, but it's also a nuisance, too long, and a pain to wash. Just help me out this once and I'll erase any thoughts I have about you being a rapist. I'd like it if you take off six inches or so."

"Well, if you're certain... You can let go of Suppi-chan. He won't run away."

She was unwilling, but she released the leash. To her surprise, Suppi only sat down and watched them.

"Okay, then..." She felt the boy lift up a section of her hair. "Hold your breath."

She held her breath. Then she heard the snip of the scissors.

"Farewell, my beautiful auburn locks," she proclaimed theatrically as several strands of her hair floated away.

He separated another small segment of hair. "You're pleasant to be around once you got over your paranoia, did you know that?"

She mumbled something inaudible.

"Could you say that again?" Snip.

She said it a little louder.

"I didn't quite catch that," said the boy, smiling because he did hear her.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she said loudly. She lowered her voice a bit. "I really am, though. It's just... I have problems with trusting people."

Behind her, he nodded. "Ah, mysterious issues regarding your past. I understand completely. I have my own personal problems, too." Snip, snip.

"Mind telling me?"

"Ah... I do."

"Okay, then. I respect that. Can I at least learn your name?"

"I'd rather not tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you have no reason to know my name." A slow, careful snip.

"But that isn't fair!" exclaimed Sakura. "You know my name. Why can't I know yours?"

Snip. "Fine. If you must know, my name is Eli," he said.

She furrowed her brows. "Is that your real name? It's kind of odd."

"Yes. No. Well, it was in England."

"You lived in England?"

"I used to." Snip, snip.

"That makes sense. Eli sounds very English. But what _is_ your real name then?" she asked.

"Hiiragizawa Eriol."

"Hiiragizawa," she repeated.

"Eriol is fine." Snip.

"That sounds foreign, too."

"Like I said, I was born in the west."

"Oh. Then you can call me Kinomoto."

Eriol brushed off some of her hair off his shirt. "I can't call you by your given name?"

Sakura shrugged. "There's no need to get too friendly. It's not like we're going to see each other again, right?"

"Correct. We will definitely never cross paths again." Many quick snips.

A pause followed.

"I take it we'll be seeing each other quite often, then, for whatever reason?" said Sakura.

"Most likely," agreed Eriol.

"In that case, you have permission to call me Sakura."

"Same with me, but call me Eriol, not Sakura."

She smiled. Snip, snip, snip—

"Oops."

"_Oops?_ What do you mean by _oops_?" she asked worriedly. She turned around and saw Eriol with a lengthy piece of her hair in his hands.

She gaped at him. "Just how much did you cut off?"

Silently, he gestured high up his neck.

"_That much?_"

He hung his head, looking guilty. Then he dropped to his knees and took her hands in his. "My deepest apologies. I swear on my life that it was not a deliberate act. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" He stared up at her with his deep blue eyes.

Sakura laughed, her first genuine laugh in a long while that was directed at a person. "Oh, stop acting like such a drama king. Yes, I'll forgive you. It's just hair. It will grow back eventually." She pulled her hands out of his and turned around again. "Go on, cut off the rest. I've always wanted to see what it was like with short hair. Oh," she added, "and give me bangs, okay? Bangs are pretty."

"Are you hinting that you trust me now?" Eriol started sectioning off parts of her hair.

Her response didn't come right away. "I trust you, but not completely," she said carefully. "That's understandable, right? I mean, I've only just met you. I don't know anything about you, your past, or any criminal records you may have had."

Snip. "I assure you that my record is clean. But I admit that my past is a little rough."

"Rough?"

"Let's just say that you wouldn't want to know about some of the details. Now, may I request your silence so I can finish?"

"What? Oh. Sorry."

* * *

Sakura shook her head, marveling at how short her hair was. "Well? How is it?" she asked.

Eriol made a face. "I wouldn't look in the mirror if I were you."

She ran her hand through her hair. "Is it that bad? I think you did a good job. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You don't have to be so formal. A simple 'no problem' would do."

"Of course."

She opened her backpack. "I never realized how heavy my hair was until it was gone. I think I'll keep it this way." She got out her slightly damp cap and put it on. She also slipped her shoes back on. "How do I look?" she asked. She spread out her arms and twirled around.

He surveyed her. "Pretty," he answered honestly.

She smiled shyly, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Thank you."

"And different."

"That's good. I was aiming for different. Will people be able to recognize me, do you think?"

"It's not likely," he said, "but I think you need a bodyguard to be safe."

Sakura was confused. "A... bodyguard? Someone who goes wherever I go?"

"Right."

"Who would you recommend?"

"Myself."

"You?_" _said Sakura incredulously. "But won't your parents get worried if you're constantly with me?" She then noted that Eriol's expression shifted, and she immediately added, "Not that I'm implying that you're the type of guy who still lives with his mother. I mean—I don't think you look old or anything, just older than I am. Not that I'm very old, but... um..." She was babbling, feeling nervous at the thought of having a bodyguard. Conversing with a real person and not a little black puppy.

But Eriol only smiled at her stammering. "I left home already."

"You live in an apartment?"

"No. I ran away."

That was unexpected. And shocking. He couldn't possibly mean... "You—you don't have a home?" she said slowly.

"I don't."

"As in... you're homeless? Like me?"

"Do you find it that hard to believe?"

"Extremely. Oh, Kami." She leaned against the side wall and slid to the ground. She looked up at him. "How do you manage to look so well taken care of?"

"I'll tell you, but will you let me follow you around all day long?" Then he flinched. "That sounded very creepy, didn't it?"

Sakura smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, she stood and picked up her roller blades, backpack, and the sleeping Suppi, whom she gave to Eriol to hold.

"I'll show you the way to my tree house."

* * *

Eriol looked around the wooden room with a light wonder. He walked over to the television and dragged a finger through the dust gathered at the top.

"That doesn't work," Sakura informed him. "I don't think it has functioned for a long time."

"Really?" He pressed the ON button located at the bottom of the TV. The screen flickered several times, and then a picture appeared, lighting up the dark room. "It appears to be working okay."

Sakura gasped. "But—it never worked when I turned it on!" she exclaimed. She joined Eriol at the TV. She pressed the same button, turning the television off, and pressed it again. Nothing. "How did you do that?" she asked.

He gave a modest shrug and smile. "I only pushed the button, that's all. Nothing else. Perhaps you didn't press hard enough?" he offered.

She frowned. "That could be it... hmm?" She noticed something about the television. "Hey, wait a minute! This thing isn't connected to any cables or wires or anything!" she cried.

Eriol shrugged again. "It's probably running on faulty batteries."

"But—"

"Is that the only thing to sleep on?" he cut in, indicating the maroon couch.

"Yeah. What about it?'

"There's only one," he said.

Sakura stared at him. "One? Oh—OH! Damn, there's only one..." she said stupidly.

"You use it, then. You got here first," said Eriol. He put Suppi down, who woke up, and started for the entrance of the tree house.

"No!" She stopped him. "If you're going to travel with me, you don't have to be so chivalrous all the time. You can take the couch. I'll just find a spot outside in the tree." She waited for Eriol to speak.

He looked like he was thinking. "I wonder..." he began cautiously. "I wonder if we can both fit on the couch."

"The two of us?" That hadn't occurred to Sakura. She thought about it. "It could work out, I guess," she said finally. "Just promise you won't—try anything, okay?"

He feigned hurt. "Why, Sakura-san, I thought you were over that," he said.

She pushed him playfully. "I am over it. But you're still a boy and boys get tempted—"

He shook his head. "Not me. I've been raised a gentleman. You have my word that I won't do anything."

"Promise?" She glanced at him.

"Promise."

"Good. And you can drop the _-san. _It's only Sakura now."

"All right. Same with me."

Sakura picked up Suppi's leash and tied it around her wrist. "Better safe than sorry," she explained. She moved to the old couch and sat down. Eriol did the same, placing a respectable distance between them.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked.

"_Too _comfortable, really," said Sakura. "At least it's cleaner than those contaminated alleys."

He nodded in agreement. "Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight... Eriol."

_"Arf,"_ said Suppi, which probably translated to something along the lines of, "Goodnight, Master Eriol."

And that was the start of their seven month long journey.

* * *

**A/N:** Voilà. Sakura has her prettyful short hair now.

I think I may have rushed the Eriol/Sakura trust relationship. One minute she's accusing him of being a rapist and the next minute she's letting him tag along with her. But it was the only way I could get Eriol to meet Tomoyo. Oh, and regarding the singer, she _will _make an appearance _very_ soon. I can't bear to go too far without my favorite character.

From now on, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to update within a certain period of time. I can only squeeze in about an hour of writing a day, and I am one the slowest writers on the face of the earth. I never could finish timed essays in school.

I'm just going to stop squealing whenever I get a review. 'Cause I'll start jumping for joy even if I only have one. I do love every single one of my reviewers, and I REALLY appreciate that you took the time to tell me your opinions. By the way, go ahead and point out any and all mistakes you see in my fic, even if I forgot a period. I don't like to proofread my work so some chapters may be laced with errors. Okay? Thankies!

Do you think my Author's Notes are too long? I always have so much to say.

Until next time,

- Mimi


	5. Aid

**A/N**: I'm really too tired to type up a decent Author's Note. I'll type a better one at the bottom.

(Haha... Monday. You probably thought I meant the Monday before last Monday, didn't you, Choco? I thought I did, too. Sooo... Sorry about that. I'm just going to stop making promises about updates. Because I'm never going to keep them.)

Without further ado, I present the next chapter of Forget-Me-Not. Go ahead. Read it. I think you'll like it. I hope you like it. I worked my butt off to complete it.

By the way, all temperatures are in Celsius 'cause that's how they do it in Japan.

**Disclaimer**: Must they torture us so by making us state that we don't own this masterpiece of a creation over and over again? I DON'T OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA.

* * *

**_F o r g e t – M e – N o t_**

**_B y : E n t r a n c i a_**

_Chapter Five: Aid_

* * *

During the next seven months, Eriol remained a mystery to Sakura. After getting over the shock of finding out that his hair really was navy blue—and _naturally _like that, no less—she tried to find out more about his life. But her attempts proved futile. Eriol, who seemed so friendly and willing to talk, would only give her a sad smile and instantly change the subject. From the limited information he did share with her, Sakura came to several conclusions.

One: Eriol had a troubled past.

Two: His family was a sensitive topic.

Three: This was going to be tougher than she thought.

It was generally easy to travel with Eriol and Suppi journeying along with her. Eriol never complained about being hungry, about being tired, or about Sakura's complaints about such things. Nothing ever seemed to bother him, except whenever Sakura would try to strike up a conversation about his previous life in England.

_I will find out the truth, _Sakura had thought determinedly. _But for now, I'll stay quiet. _

Suppi wasn't a hassle at all... when it wasn't her turn to keep watch of him. The dog had grown really attached to Eriol, and as long as he was nearby, Suppi would behave. On occasion, Eriol had to leave Suppi in Sakura's care, and things weren't so smooth. Lately, the dog seemed to be going through a stage of something similar to teenage rebelliousness. He pointedly ignored Sakura and would refuse to obey any of her commands. When Eriol returned, Suppi would act like a perfect angel, and Sakura would not even bother complaining. She wouldn't complain, though. Suppi was the only thing she had left to remind her of her family, besides her old clothes, some miscellaneous items, and the squeaky bone she had bought before. She gave it to Suppi when he started teething. The squeaking irritated her to no end, but she endured.

It wasn't that he was running around chasing cars or biting people. He was actually the opposite. As the dog grew in size, he grew less troublesome. He wasn't the curious, bouncy puppy he was seven months before. Now he was more relaxed and, not _lazy_, exactly, but calm. And intelligent. Sakura swore that the dog could read when she saw him with a book open before him. That could have been Eriol's doing, but it wasn't likely. His pranks were never that childish.

A couple of days after the two met, Sakura and Eriol devised a plan together. After much thought, planning, and revising, they came up with one. Eriol wouldn't follow Sakura all day long if he did not want to be accused of stalking her. Instead, they would spend some days together—because even Sakura had to confess that being alone was often terribly depressing—and other days they would go their separate ways. On those days they would select an area to meet at to head off for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. According to the blue-haired boy, Sakura wasn't permitted to fret over "petty" things like what to eat. Everyday, Eriol would present her with a bag full of food, often fruit. He would not tell her how he got his hands on enough food to feed the three of them, so she stopped asking. Only time would open him up.

She had no clue what he and Suppi did when they split up, but she knew that if she asked, he wouldn't tell her. He could be _frustrating _sometimes!

Sakura hugged herself, shivering at the sudden gust of wind that reminded her that winter was not quite over. She looked around to locate a place of temporary refuge and saw the library where she and Eriol were supposed to meet. She hurried inside the sanctuary of warmth.

The clock in the library told her that it was about four-forty-five. She had an hour and fifteen minutes before Eriol arrived. She needed something to kill time. _Oh, what to do..._

She smacked her forehead._ I am such an idiot, _she thought. _Of course! Books! But which one...? _

She pulled her cap down as low as it would go. "Excuse me," she said politely to a librarian uninterestedly shelving encyclopedias. "What books would you recommend for reading for pleasure?" she asked.

The librarian quickly shoved an atlas into a shelf and turned around, scaring Sakura with huge grin on her face. She was a fairly young librarian, maybe in her late twenties. "Oh, lots!" she said excitedly. "I know many books that would be perfect for you! Wait here!"

Sakura blinked at the woman's abrupt change of attitude, but she obeyed and sat down at a table. She had no choice but to spend a quarter of an hour watching the librarian run around everywhere, occasionally tossing a book or two at the table where Sakura was seated. A single book rapidly expanded into a mountainous pile of literature of all varieties: drama, historical fiction, romance, adventure, mystery, horror—all the genres Sakura could think of and several more. When it came to the point where she had to hold the pile down in order for it to not spill over, she stopped the librarian by lightly touching her arm.

"I'm sure these are all lovely books, but I only need one or two," she said. "You see, I'm just waiting for a friend and I needed something to pass time."

"Oh." The librarian calmed down a bit. "Why didn't you say that before? I know just the ones." She sorted through the pile she had created and emerged with two books, one pink and one grey. She slid them over to Sakura. "These are relatively new, but they have earned several awards already. The girl who wrote these is a brilliant author. She is about your age and already she's working on her third novel. This one" —she indicated the pink book— "is the first book of her trilogy. The other is Book Two. You should borrow the books and take your time reading them, as they are fairly lengthy, but very good. Okay with you?"

Sakura nodded. "Thanks a bunch."

The librarian smiled. "That's what I'm here for. Come to me if you need anything else, all right?"

"Okay."

Once the librarian left, Sakura picked up the books. _Umi-hime: Book One _was the title of the pink one, and _Daichi-hime: Book Two _was the second's title. She flipped to the inside back cover, where information about the author was.

_Currently living in Tomoeda, Yanagisawa Naoko is the exceptionally young author of_ Umi-hime _and _Daichi-hime_, the first two books of the _Hime_ trilogy. She was only sixteen when_ Umi-hime_, a multiple award-winning novel, was written and published, and seventeen when _Daichi-hime, _its sequel, was completed. She is currently in the process of writing the conclusion to the popular trilogy._

_Becoming an author has been Naoko's main ambition in life, and she is overjoyed at how successful her books have become. She had started writing at the young age of eight. At age ten, she started composing a children's fantasy book, which, she admitted, was where she got the inspiration for her novels. When questioned about her mythological beliefs, she responded with a sparkle in her eyes, "Indeed, dragons do exist, and someday we shall co-exist, with humans as their masters. Of course, either _that _would happen or our plan to tame the beasts would fail and they would devour us one by one. Either way, I'd be standing in the sidelines with a pen and pad of paper, ready to record down how we humans have conquered or have been conquered by dragons."_

_Tomoeda? _thought Sakura. _That's the town next to this one. We're headed there tonight. I could possibly meet her, this Yanagisawa Naoko, however weird she seems. _

She opened the book to a random page and started reading.

_A princess's life is never as it seems. Mine certainly isn't. Grandeur, etiquette, luxury—these are all parts of my job, but that's really only the exterior view. In reality, I am restricted of most of the joys in this world. I am forbidden to leave my kingdom. I cannot communicate with my childhood friends from the village. I am constantly expected to look like and play the part of a princess. Above all, I am a prisoner in my castle. I will someday break free of this bleak jail of a home._

_The sea. Oh, I have always admired the sea. There's a huge one right behind my castle. I would sometimes sneak away from my room under the cover of the night to pay it a visit. It does look gorgeous, but I deeply wish to watch the sea in during the day. I am sure it would look very pretty and relaxing. I often fantasize about living in the sea. I would rule a magnificent kingdom with the oh-so handsome prince of the Yamakawa Kingdom (Oh, how I wish for _him _to be my betrothed and not that idiot Shouzou) by my side. And to my people I shall be known as Umi-hime. The sea princess. _

_What about queen? you may wonder. Ah, I'd be queen later. That would make me sound so _old. _I'd just be plain old Chizumi-hime, which actually doesn't sound so plain, does it? When Taka and I get married and have lots of babies, then I would become queen. _

"Have you been waiting long?"

"AHH!"

Sakura looked up from her place on the ground, rubbing the area on her arm where it struck the table leg. Eriol stood over her, his expression one of worry.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he said. He extended his hand to Sakura, who took it, and pulled her back onto her feet.

"I wasn't startled," she said. At Eriol's look, she said, "Okay, maybe I was, a little. But I wasn't expecting you for another hour. Why are you here early?"

Eriol picked up the book she was reading from the carpeted floor. "When we schedule a library as our meeting place, I would arrive early to catch up on my reading. But since you're already here, there's no need for me to stay. Should we go, then? I think Suppi-chan is becoming famished."

"Yeah. I'm hungry, too." Sakura pushed in her chair. Then she noticed that Eriol was walking away with _Umi-hime _and_ Daichi-hime _in his hand. "Ah, Eriol—"

He stopped and she caught up to him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to put those back?" she asked, pointing at the books.

"You don't want to read them?"

"I can't borrow them. I don't have a card."

"I do." Eriol flashed a red card at her. "It's okay, I'll check them out for you." He walked on.

"Eriol..." She stopped him. "How did you get a library card if you're required to give them your address, of which you don't have?"

There was that flash of childlike naughtiness in his eyes again, something Sakura always dreaded to see. The results were never good.

"This card"—he held it up for her to see it clearly—"belongs to my father. You could say that I'm... borrowing it." He was smiling.

Or smirking.

There was something wrong with that. "But... we're leaving Osaka tonight. How are you going to return—"

"I don't plan to."

"He... he has to pay..."

"Correct."

Sakura took the card to examine it. "He didn't know that you borrowed it, did he?"

"No," said Eriol cheerfully.

"Do you hate your father that much?" was what she wanted to say, but she knew Eriol wouldn't answer her. "Shall I even ask why you did it?" she said instead.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." He took the card back. "Will you let me check out the book now? Suppi-chan must be starving by this point."

_Suppi-chan! _"Oh! Go ahead. Sorry."

They gave the books to a librarian, who scanned it and made sure there were no illegal substances in there, and they went back outside to where Suppi stood impatiently.

Sakura went over to him and dropped down to her knees, letting her backpack slide off her shoulder. "We're sorry for taking so long. It was Eriol's fault," said Sakura, freeing him from the pole to which he was restrained. Suppi, predictably, paid her no heed and went to Eriol as soon as she untied him.

"And again, I'm ignored," declared Sakura. She heard Eriol chuckle in that almost evil way of his as she stood up. She saw that the two were already halfway down the block.

"Eriol!" she started. She picked up her backpack and slipped the straps over both shoulders. "H—hey! Eriol! Wait for me!"

* * *

Sakura stretched and fell back into the sand. She grabbed a fistful of it in each of her sticky hands, some of the sand leaking out, some adhering to her fingers. "Isn't the beach relaxing, Eriol?" she asked him.

"Very," he answered. He was lying next to her with Suppi curled up beside him. "I'm glad you suggested eating dinner here."

"You suggested it. I didn't."

"Hmm, so I did. How smart of me."

"Ha, we both know that the place I recommended was equally as good. Don't get cocky now, Hiiragizawa."

"Likewise, Kinomoto."

They were the only people on the beach. Nobody in their right minds would come to the beach at that time of year. It was mid-March, and yet temperatures rarely surpassed five degrees. Still, it was soothing to watch the sun set gradually, even if their bodies were starting to go numb from the chilly winds.

Sakura sat up, her cap falling off, and stared at her sand-coated hands. "Ah... I should get these rinsed off now," she said. She crawled over to the shore. She stuck her hands in there and waved them around. She flinched at the sharp bite of the icy water, but she kept her hands in there until the sand and the juices from the fruit she ate came off. When she removed them from the water, a thought popped into mind. It was payback time for all the mischief Eriol had caused her and innocent passersby.

She cautiously approached the relaxed Eriol, the sounds of her footsteps absorbed by the sand, her frozen hands reaching for his exposed throat. She made absolutely no noise. She even held her breath. When her fingers were less than an inch from Eriol's throat, his hand shot out with an inhuman speed and grabbed her wrist. He slowly smiled at her astonished expression.

"You can't sneak up on me. Nice try, though," he said. He released her.

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Why do you always have to be so damn perceptive of everything? I can never get you just once, can I?"

"Never."

"I swear, you must be magic or something. That's the only explanation I can come up with."

Eriol laughed it off. "Magic? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just all-seeing."

"Hmph. You're impossible."

Sakura spun around and, unexpectedly, smacked into something soft yet firm. She took a couple steps back. She blinked at it, whatever it was, and then her eyes moved upwards at a snail's pace. A black jacket. A red t-shirt. A tan neck. Red lips. An ordinary nose. And the most mystifying eyes she had ever seen. They were so light they were close to colorless. And they were staring right into Sakura's.

"Hey. What's your name?" the guy asked with a flirty smile.

His tone was friendly, but something about him made little warning bells sound inside Sakura's head, and that made her back up more.

"Why? Who wants to know?" she asked, her body tensing, ready for anything.

His smirk widened. He moved closer to her, and she kept stepping back until she bumped into Eriol. "Sorry," she whispered to him.

"The name's Yukio. May I ask for yours, little lady?" he inquired politely. Sakura wasn't fooled. She knew he was up to something.

"No, you may not," she answered coldly. She subconsciously straightened her back. "And I'm _not_ little." She took hold of Eriol's wrist. "Let's leave, Eriol. It's getting colder."

Yukio grabbed her other wrist. "Eriol, huh? So that's your boyfriend's name."

Sakura yanked her arm free. "He's NOT my boyfriend. He's my—"

"I'm her husband," said Eriol pleasantly.

Sakura dropped his wrist at that. She stared at him in a what-the-hell-are-you-saying sort of way. He didn't glance at her, but instead stared at the man in front of him.

"Your husband," repeated Yukio.

"Right... we're married," said Sakura, not once taking her eyes off the boy who had just declared himself her spouse. What was Eriol doing?

Then Sakura caught a glimpse of the look Eriol was shooting at Yukio. It said, "She's taken." She understood now. It was obvious that the man was trying—and failing—to flirt with her, and Eriol wanted to get her out of there. She had to play along.

The guy looked thoughtful. "Is that so?" He grinned at them. "That makes this even more fun."

"Fun?" she said. "I don't know what you're talking about but my fr—_husband_ and I have somewhere we need to be right now. Isn't that right? Sweetie?" she added for good measure.

"Yes, we really must go," Eriol confirmed.

"Perhaps we'll meet again someday," she said to Yukio, who stood there with that stupid grin on his face. "Bye."

As soon as she and Eriol turned around, Sakura felt a hand encircle around her small wrist—Yukio's.

"I insist," he said. "Stay."

Sakura tried to pull her arm free, but he held on tightly. "Let go of me!" she cried.

Yukio sighed despairingly. He didn't loosen his grip on her. "Why do you girls always have to do it the hard way? You never just say 'yes' and get it over with."

Her eyes widened. _Surely he doesn't mean— _

She heard Eriol grunt behind her. She started to turn her head, but Yukio roughly shoved her forward. Sakura expected to hit the soft sand, but instead she collided into something else soft. And firm. And something wrapped itself around her waist securely.

_Kami-sama, not again..._

She couldn't see who was holding her, but she did know one thing for sure: He liked to work out. She could feel his well-defined abs against her back. His arms around her were thick and muscular and strong.

"Meet my friend, Daisuke," said Yukio, smirking. "The guy next to you is Ryuuto."

With a shock, she saw that Eriol was also being restrained by man who of the same age, but much larger. Strangely, Eriol wasn't struggling, unlike Sakura. He just stayed still, not moving. He wasn't smiling anymore. He only stared impassively ahead.

"And over there," continued Yukio, "that's Akeno." He indicated a man near the shore. He was sitting on a wooden crate—that was emitting an ample amount of noise—grumbling something about _fucking dogs_ and _not having any fun_. Out of all the men he was the shortest, and he was still taller than Eriol.

_Suppi-chan, _she thought. _Not you, too..._

Yukio, who seemed to be the leader, grinned at her. "You like my friends?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. I _love _your friends. They are such a _delightful _bunch of _straight-A students_ and _goody two shoes_. Why don't we all gather together inside your home so we can at least be _warm_ when you take turns _raping_ me?" she said, her voice laden with sarcasm.

"You and your rape accusations," she heard Eriol mutter, who obviously didn't forget the first time they met.

She glared at him. "It's true this time!" she insisted.

Yukio sauntered closer to her. He reached out and stroked her face with his hand. "Who said anything about rape, missy? By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging for my friends. Believe me, girls always come crawling back for more after they've had a go with me," he said. He didn't try to conceal the arrogance in his voice.

He _was_ going to rape her! She shot Eriol a triumphant look, seeing how she was right, but then the look abruptly shifted to one of horror. She was going to be raped! That was NOT a good thing.

Sakura, her arms of no use to her, shook her head wildly, her choppy auburn hair flying everywhere. Yukio removed his hand. He was beginning to look annoyed.

"Listen, bitch," he said in a tone that was entirely different than the one he had used earlier, "you're either going to let me do whatever I want to you and I'll let you go, or I'll be forced to use this." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a black object. When he held it in front of her face, she realized what it was. A pocketknife. He whipped open the three-inch-long blade. The moonlight reflected off the blade, making it glint dangerously.

Sakura eyed the knife warily. "Why don't I just tell you my name? It's Sakura."

He lowered his pocketknife, but he only lowered it. He kept the blade out. "Sakura, huh? A pretty name for a pretty girl." He smirked. "But, my little flower, telling me your name isn't going to stop me. I'm still going to deflower this delicate cherry blossom." He reached out his hand to touch her face again, but he quickly retracted it when she tried to bite him. She was both disappointed and relieved that he did, disappointed because she couldn't get the satisfaction of knowing that she had hurt him, relieved because she didn't know where his man-whore fingers had been.

"You're wild. I like that in a girl," he said huskily in her ear.

"Get the fuck away from me," she hissed.

Yukio stepped back. He stuck his pocketknife into his pocket, the blade pointing up. "Well, you're certainly a unique case, aren't you?" he mused, frowning. "The other girls I've had aren't nearly as stubborn as you are. They can't resist me, it seems. Why are you different?"

She scoffed. "Because I'm not a whore."

But Sakura could see why girls thought he was irresistible. Yukio was incredibly handsome, though she would only let him know that when Hell freezes over. His long, dark brown, almost black, hair was carefully tousled to give him that sexy look that suggested he just got out of bed. (_And he probably did, _she thought disgustedly.) His body was one any male would work hard for: lean, lightly muscled, and tan. And looking into his grey eyes was enough to make all girls melt. At that moment, he was using them to try and see through Sakura's clothes. If her arms were free, she would have crossed them. But because they weren't, she had no choice but to let him gape.

"Nice rack," he said, looking impressed. "What are you, a D?"

"None of your business," snapped Sakura. In truth, she was only a B. She hadn't inherited Nadeshiko's model-perfect chest.

Thinking about her dead mother caused tears to spring into her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but unfortunately, Yukio noticed.

"Aw, did I make the little girl cry?" he said mockingly. "Here, I'll kiss you and make it better."

Without warning, he pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss. Sakura's first kiss.

She acted on impulse. She bit his lower lip, not enough to draw blood, but enough to make him recoil with a hiss of pain. She saw his face as he drew back. He looked pissed.

"I've had it with you!" he shouted angrily. He raised his free hand and backhanded her hard, his many rings scraping painfully across her cheek. She felt something wet and warm trickle down her face. Still, she remained mute. Before he slapped her, two very important things came to her. The first was that Yukio was ready to go all the way if she didn't stop him.

The second was that Daisuke's hold on her was getting looser and looser. Loose enough for her to break free.

Her heart started pounding hard as a plan formed in her head. This could be her chance to escape. It would be risky and she could only afford to use one attempt, but her determination gave her a surge of bravery. She had to try.

Just as Yukio went to unzip her jacket, Suppi barked a rather vicious bark. Yukio briefly turned his head around, but that short distraction was all Sakura needed. She took a deep breath and ripped herself free from Daisuke.

Many things took place all at once within the next five seconds. Apparently, Eriol, who had been so still and quiet the entire time, also selected that moment to escape just as Sakura grabbed Yukio's pocketknife by the blade. She didn't see how Eriol escaped from Ryuuto's secure grip, but somehow he did. Ryuuto was now crumpled on the sand, clutching his stomach and moaning. But Sakura didn't have time to mull over that. She had Yukio's knife clasped tightly in her hand with the blade digging into her palm, drawing blood, and she didn't know what to do with it. She had only planned to threaten Yukio with it, but he didn't appear to look at all threatened. As she flipped the knife around, Eriol, even with Daisuke holding him back, charged right into Yukio from behind. And Eriol, who was half a foot shorter than Yukio, was able to move him. Yukio stumbled forward toward Sakura's outstretched hand.

The one gripping the pocketknife.

She and Yukio both gasped simultaneously: Sakura from surprise, Yukio from pain. Terrified, she pushed him back with as much strength as she could muster. He took several staggering steps back, and Eriol quickly dodged him, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. Yukio fell to his knees and started coughing, hacking, oh Kami please make it stop, that Sakura had to look away, squeezing her eyes shut. Eriol immediately followed suit.

Then the vicious coughing ceased, and all was silent. Sakura finally gained enough nerve to look up. She saw Yukio crumpled on the ground, his blood spilling onto the sand. His tall friends stood over him. The fear in their expressions had transformed the men into frightened boys.

Ryuuto lightly nudged Yukio's arm with the tip of his foot. "Yukio?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, fuck," whispered Akeno. He had left the wooden crate unattended. Suppi escaped and trotted over to Eriol silently, sensing that something was wrong.

Daisuke was the first to break free from the trance. He slowly moved backwards. He noticed Sakura and Eriol watching him, and his gradual steps shifted into a crazed run. "Akeno! Ryuuto! Let's get out of here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

The two snapped out of their daze and hastily followed Daisuke. Akeno tripped over his own feet, but he got back up again. All three shot final, fearful glances at Sakura and Eriol, and then they were gone, disappearing over a sand hill.

Sakura suddenly realized that she was still clutching Yukio's bloody pocketknife. She let out a strangled gasp and let it drop to the ground. She rushed over to the shore and feverishly splashed her hands in the water, ignoring the cold. When she straightened up, Eriol was there, and wordlessly he held out her backpack. She grabbed it, silently thanking him with her eyes, and motioned for them to leave. Suppi let Eriol pick him up, even though he wasn't a puppy anymore. They left in the direction opposite of Yukio's friends. Neither looked back at the man lying in the sand.

* * *

Sakura collapsed against the wall of a store, exhausted from the amount of running they had done. She was probably crushing some of the things in her backpack, but she didn't care. Eriol was in an even worse condition. His breathing was hoarse and he looked like he was about to faint. She had never seen him like that before. He was always so composed, no matter how much they ran.

They had no idea where Suppi was, who sprinted off when Eriol let go of him. They weren't worried. Suppi always came back.

Sakura's eyes started to close, but they popped open at the sight before her.

"Eriol!" she said shrilly. "What happened to your arm?" She pointed a trembling finger at his right forearm, where a deep and long cut stretched from below the elbow to his wrist. Even in the night, she could see that it was still bleeding freely.

Eriol half-opened his eyes. "Don't worry about me," he said dismissively, half-heartedly waving his hand. "It's just a scrape."

"_Just_ a scrape? Eriol, I think it cut across a vein. Who did it?" demanded Sakura.

"Ryuuto," he murmured. She remembered when Eriol grunted right before she was grabbed by Daisuke. That must have been when Ryuuto wounded him.

Then she gaped at him. "You've been bleeding this entire time?"

"There's not too much blood. I'll be fine." Eriol tried to stand up, but he only made it partway before he pitched forward. Sakura caught him before he could hit the ground. Then, of course, Eriol lost consciousness.

Sakura swore to herself. She couldn't take him to a hospital; they would ask too many probing, personal questions—questions she could not answer, would not know the answer to. She didn't know how to help him, and he was getting colder by the minute. She was no expert but she had enough judgment to know that that was a bad thing. She needed help.

A girl came out of the craft store across the street then, the little _ding_ of the bell on the door startling Sakura. She hurried to cover Eriol's arm. She saw the look of surprise flash across the girl's face. Too late. She had seen him.

"Oh my goodness," the girl cried, dropping her messenger bag on the sidewalk. She rushed over to Sakura and Eriol. She tenderly lifted Eriol's wounded arm, scrutinizing it. She got his blood all over her hands. "This is so deep.... Excuse me, but would you mind telling me what happened to him?" the girl asked.

"He—erm—got into a terrible accident," replied Sakura after a moment of listening to her inner voice argue with her on what to say. "Can you help him?"

The girl nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course. There's a first aid kit in my bag, I believe. Could you please fetch it for me?"

Sakura thought she misheard her. "A first aid kit? Why do you have one in your bag?"

The girl tore her eyes away from Eriol and looked at Sakura. "Please, we'll discuss later, but for now please get the kit. Your friend is steadily losing blood, and if he loses any more, there's a chance he might not make it," she said solemnly.

That shocked Sakura out of her exhaustion. She grabbed the girl's bulky messenger bag from across the street and opened it. She pulled out some various objects: a bag of ribbons, schoolbooks, a jar of buttons, an expensive-looking camcorder, two tapes, yards and yards of colorful fabric, and finally, at the bottom, a small red and white first aid kit. Sakura left the girl's things lying on the ground and went over to her with the kit.

"Here," said Sakura, handing it to the girl.

"Thank you," she answered, taking it. She set it down and opened it with one hand. She motioned for Sakura to move closer. "Could you elevate his arm while I get the bandages?" she asked politely.

"Of course." Sakura knelt down next to Eriol. She clasped his cold hand in hers and raised it up. _You'll be okay, Eriol, _she thought. _This girl looks like she knows what she's doing. _

She was rapidly sorting through the miscellaneous medical items inside the first aid kit. She set aside two things: a roll of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant. She went back into her messenger bag and took out a bottle of water, a satin yellow ribbon, and a white handkerchief. Sakura caught a flash of the romaji letters _T, O, _and _M _embroidered in the corner with gold thread before the girl hopped over and sat down next to Sakura. She placed all items on the ground before her and picked up the ribbon. She gathered her silky purple hair in one hand and tied it into a high ponytail with the ribbon. Then she got to work.

With Sakura watching, the girl poured water over Eriol's cut, little by little, until it was clean. She wiped away the excess blood with her handkerchief, dyeing it a dark crimson. Next she picked up the bottle of disinfectant and sprayed short bursts of medicine over the injured area. She moved her face closer to his arm to inspect it, and she moved away with a grim smile of satisfaction on her face.

She turned to Sakura. "You can let go of his hand now. I need to apply the bandages."

"Right. Sorry." Sakura released his hand reluctantly, as if letting go would make him vanish before her eyes.

The girl saw Sakura's hesitation. She smiled. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked. She pressed a piece of the bandage against the cut where blood was welling up.

_Why do people always think that? _"No. He's my—"

**_Uncle? _**suggested her inner voice. **_Grandfather? Father? Random stranger? Worst enemy? Best friend? Regular friend? Close friend? Friend with benef— _**

"Brother," finished Sakura, abruptly shutting up her inner voice's barrage of ridiculous ideas.

The girl smiled a knowing smile. "Older?"

"Umm—yeah," she answered, remembering that Eriol was nineteen.

"How old are you, if I may ask, Miss...?"

"Sakura," replied Sakura, without thinking. She bit her lip and mentally smacked herself for being so stupid. "Hiiragizawa!" she blurted quickly. "My name is Hiiragizawa Sakura. And I'm eighteen." She figured telling the girl her age wouldn't cause any harm.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'd shake your hand, but I'm rather busy right now," said the girl. "I'm Daidouji Tomoyo."

"Nice to meet you, Daidouji."

Sakura saw Tomoyo's expression shift to one of hurt. "Oh, don't take it the wrong way," said Sakura quickly, catching her mistake. "I don't use honorifics anymore. I can't use them, not for anyone, even if we're friends. I didn't mean anything by that. I'm sorry."

Tomoyo continued to wrap the bandage around and around Eriol's arm, not saying anything. A minute later, she tore the bandage and tied it securely. She smiled modestly at Sakura. "I'm all done now. Is this okay?"

Sakura stared at Eriol's arm. It looked just right. "Yes. That's perfect," whispered Sakura. She was unable to stop the tears from forming in her eyes, however much she wanted to. "Thank you," she said to Tomoyo, her voice cracking with emotion. "Thank you so much. You saved him."

"It was no problem at all," she responded, beaming. "I'm just happy to help." Then she glanced at the sky and frowned. "Oh, goodness, excuse me for a moment."

She crossed the street and picked up all of her things, shoveling them back into her bag. Then she went back to where Sakura was sitting, who had Eriol's hand in hers once more. Tomoyo looked at her apologetically. "I'm afraid I've lost track of time. I must go back home before my family starts a search party. They've already done it twice before," she said, shaking her head. "I can afford to stay for a few more minutes, though. Do you need me to help get your brother home?"

"No!" said Sakura loudly, startling Tomoyo. She cleared her throat. "What I mean is, it's quite all right. My car is parked down the street. I can drive him home. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Okay, then. I pray we meet again, Hiiragizawa-san."

Sakura shook her head. "Sakura. It's just Sakura," she corrected.

"May I call you Sakura-san?"

"Sakura-chan. Or simply Sakura will do."

"Well then, Sakura-chan, I hope our paths will cross again someday. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Tomoyo turned to leave, Sakura watching her. The girl stopped at a ONE WAY sign. "And you may call me Tomoyo-chan. For you, Tomoyo will do," she said before she vanished around the corner.

"Tomoyo... chan," said Sakura out loud, testing out the name with the honorific attached. It fitted her. But what use was the name to Sakura? She probably wasn't going to meet this girl ever again.

She turned her attention to Eriol. Still unconscious, but getting warmer. She had better find him a place to stay, and quick. She wrapped her arms around his waist, careful to not touch his now bandaged arm, and pulled him up. She slung his good arm over her shoulder and kept one of her arms around his middle for support.

"You're heavier than you look," she muttered as she started to drag him down the street, staying in the shadows of the buildings. Ten minutes crawled by, and to say that Sakura was tired would be a huge understatement. When she was ready to collapse, she selected a semi-clean alley and went in. The only thing in there was a large cardboard box, big enough for one person to fit inside. She set Eriol down against the brick wall.

She went through her backpack and pulled out everything cloth-like. She assembled it all into a neat pile inside the box and rolled Eriol inside. She dropped down next to him and pulled his head into her lap.

"Rest well, Eriol," she said softly, gently running her fingers through his hair like the way her mother used to do to Touya. "Tomorrow, we're going to Tomoeda."

* * *

**A/N: Warning: Lengthy, babbling Author's Note below. Proceed with caution.** **May cause drowsiness, nausea, mild headache, boredom, and the urge to throw something at the author to shut her up.**

-happy sigh- Finally, it's finished! My goodness, my chapters just keep getting longer and longer. I'm so sorry for taking an extra week, I really am. I typed as fast as I could to finish this for you guys! I made it longer than the last chapter because I felt so guilty. I even blew off my studying because I didn't want to stop typing. Unfortunately, I failed the quiz I was supposed to be studying for. Failed as in _literally _failing. I got a fifty-four (an F), which brought my average waaaay down. So if I fail school, let it be on your conscience, 'kay?

Oh, crap, I have ANOTHER one of those geography map quizzes tomorrow. I passed the first one with flying colors—a 105—but crashed on the second one. And now, it's time for the third. Wish me luck, guys. I'm going to need it. Bleh, I HATE World History.

In case you had the same thought as I did, for Yukio, he is NOT Yukito with the name misspelled a billion times. Nor is he Yukito's long-lost brother or whatever. Yukio is just a character I made up because I enjoy killing people off. He deserved it, that perverted bastard. The ironic thing is, Yukio's name means "one who gets what he wants." That was completely unintentional, I swear. Oh, well. He wanted Sakura. I didn't give him Sakura. I gave him death. So HA! Oh, and if you thought the excerpt from _Umi-hime _was boring, I'm sorry. I had to write something. Did you notice anything strange about the passage, though? The names, perhaps? By the way, Sakura wasn't acting melodramatic near the end by saying that Tomoyo saved Eriol. If she hadn't come along, he probably would have bled to death. Thank Tomoyo-chan.

Remember, no more promises. Just don't expect me to take more than three weeks, because even I'm not that slow. Oh, and do leave a review, okay? They do make me so happy whenever I get one. I have to hold myself down to keep from jumping for joy. You don't even have to leave lengthy, detailed reviews, either. Just point out any mistakes I may have made (I KNOW I messed up a LOT of things in this chapter), tell me what you liked or didn't like, tell me I rock/suck, ask questions that you want me to clear up, or make predictions. Say whatever! I'm not going to limit what you can or can't say, whether you write a novel or leave one-word reviews. Three cheers for FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

Until next time (which, hopefully, isn't long),

- Mimi


	6. Première

**A/N**: "Until next time (which, hopefully, isn't long), - Mimi."

Boy, was I ever off. This was exactly the sort of absence I was trying so hard to avoid. That didn't work out so well, did it? I know this chapter is crap, and even shorter than my last chapter, but I felt so bad about not updating for over two months that I typed this up as fast as I could. I'd appreciate it if you point out any mistakes because I know there are tons in here. Anyway, go ahead and read it. Hope you like it because, well, I finally finished it at three thirty in the morning. Introduced some new characters in here.

God, my eyes are killing me.

**Edit**: Ew. Now that I'm not half-dead, I read through this chapter again. It sucks. Sucks like a hundred blood-thirsty leeches. Maybe I should have taken another day to add more details and such. Everything seems so choppy and short. I'll probably go back to this and revise it, but for now just try to read it as-is. I'm sorry, please don't kill me.

**Disclaimer**: Not my anime/manga. So don't sue me.

* * *

**_F o r g e t – M e – N o t_**

**_B y : E n t r a n c i a_**

_Chapter Six: Première_

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she was surprised to find herself half inside a box. What shocked her more was finding Eriol dozing in her lap, lightly snoring. Still slightly groggy and therefore not thinking straight, she had the wild thought that they had done something bad the night prior.

_Me and... Eriol? Mmmm... lovely... _she thought drowsily, about to nod off again. She pulled Eriol—a source of heat—closer to her body, pressing his head into her chest. Then she realized what she was thinking. And doing. Her eyes popped open.

_Ergh, wait—gah, I mean NO! What in the world am I thinking? _She blushed heavily, the naughty thought startling her awake. As she went to gently push Eriol away from her, he stirred in her lap. Eriol's eyelids fluttered open, revealing those omniscient orbs of sapphire. He blinked several times before he focused his eyes on Sakura.

"Good morning," he said, looking up at her pink face curiously.

"...Morning. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Good."

He grinned sleepily at her, and then looked perplexed as he noticed his rather questionable position. "Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Why am I in your lap?"

Sakura blush deepened at the straightforward inquiry, but she helped him out of the box he was in.

Eriol peered around, absorbing his surroundings. "What did we do last night?" he asked, quite serious.

She turned even redder—if that were possible—at the suggestive question, remembering that she too had pondered the same thing. "Eriol!"

He gave her a little smile. It seemed very familiar. It was unlike his usual smiles, but Sakura couldn't remember where she had seen it before. "I swear I'm not being perverted. I just can't remember anything from yesterday."

She stared. "You—you can't remember _anything_?"

He shook his head. "Not a thing. It's all a haze. What happened? And why is my arm bandaged?" he questioned, catching sight of his arm. He poked it. He winced.

Sakura grabbed his finger to keep him from inflicting further damage to himself. "Trust me when I say it's a long story," she replied. She remembered Yukio's hands caressing her face, his lips on hers. She shuddered. She let go of Eriol's finger.

He stood up with ease, declining Sakura's extended hand. He bent down and picked up an old, torn tank top that had been draped over his leg. He offered it to Sakura. "Yours, I believe?"

"Thanks." She took it, neatly folding it, and placed it into her backpack. "Could you also get that for me?" she asked, nodding her head in the direction of her white skirt.

He reached out and grabbed it, handing it to Sakura. "Who did it?" he asked, reaching for a scrap of white fabric that was once a nightgown.

"Did what?"

"You know. My arm."

"Oh." Sakura scrunched up her face, searching her brain for the name. "Ryuuto," she supplied, after much thinking. It was evident that her mind wanted to push aside the whole evening ordeal.

Eriol seemed to be thinking, also. Not quite as hard, but Sakura could see he was trying.

Moments passed, neither speaking. The only noises were that of the outside world and the soft rustles of Sakura folding her clothes.

Eriol started to open his mouth to speak but then closed it, shaking his head. "I don't think I want to remember," he said. He passed the piece of cloth to her, who stuffed it into the backpack.

Sakura put away the last of her clothes and zipped her backpack closed. She gave it a pat before slipping her arms through the straps. "All done," she said cheerily. She turned her attention on Eriol, eyeing the bandages around his hurt arm. "Does it hurt?" she wanted to know.

He gave a shrug. "Only if I touch it. Otherwise it's fine. I feel well enough to walk, if that's what you're hinting at."

"You know me too well. It scares me sometimes." Sakura got up and stretched. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

Once they left the security of their alley, their surroundings were unfamiliar. It had been dark when Sakura chose their temporary residence, so she also recognized nothing.

"Let's just... start walking, I guess," she said, shrugging. "I'm sure we'll find something." Without a destination in mind, they walked.

A sharp bark behind them caused the pair to pause in their tracks and turn around. A livid Suppi sprinted towards them, back from spending the night at a place known only to the canine. He slowed once he reached Eriol.

"Where have you been, Suppi-chan?" asked Sakura, bending down to his level. Suppi growled at her as if to say, "None of your business."

She retracted a couple of steps, smiling. She didn't mind his attitude. "Well. Sorry for caring."

To Eriol, she said, "Let's keep going."

He nodded, and the three of them continued on.

"You know, I had an unusual dream last night," said Eriol suddenly, several minutes later.

Sakura stopped immediately. Very rarely would Eriol talk about himself. This was a moment she _had _to take advantage of. "Really? What was it about?" she asked, eager to hear.

He appeared to be thinking hard. "It's vague, but I remember something about a girl. No, an angel," he corrected himself. "She was leaning over me. Whispering to me."

"What did she look like?"

"She looked like your typical angel, I suppose. A white dress. Large white wings. Long hair. Bright eyes. She just didn't have a halo." He was starting to look like he regretted opening his mouth.

"Really?" pressed Sakura, her eyes wide. She had to get him to keep talking. "I haven't heard of an angel without a halo. How can you be so sure she is one?"

Eriol sighed deeply, closing his eyes. "Because—because she told me," he answered, somewhat hesitantly.

"What did she say?"

"I... can't remember." Eriol had an odd, faraway look on his face as he said that. Did he not remember... or did he not want to tell her?

Sakura was quiet for a second. "Was she pretty?" she said absentmindedly, momentarily distracted by Suppi rolling around on a patch of dead grass. When Eriol didn't respond, she looked up. She was surprised to see that he was staring at the ground, almost shyly, his normally pale cheeks tinted pink.

"Eriol?" she said slowly. He didn't answer. She tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

Gradually, he forced himself to look at her. "No. She wasn't pretty," he said at last, that mysterious expression still on his face. Sakura blinked, and in that split second, his face changed. It was back to the way it always was. As if they never had the conversation.

"What—"

"We should get going," Eriol cut in, avoiding her gaze. He began to walk away without waiting for Sakura's reply. Suppi, noticing that his master was on the move, got up quickly and followed dutifully.

Sakura did not move. She stared at the area where her friend had previously stood. _Why do you have to be so secretive? _she couldn't help but think. _What are you hiding? _

She shook her head, deciding to be patient, and began to jog after Eriol. _He'll tell me in time. I have to wait. But, dammit, how much longer? _

* * *

They had pancakes for breakfast. Sakura had insisted on using some of her birthday money to get Eriol a decent meal for once. He had protested, telling her that the money shouldn't be wasted on him, but she refused to give up. She got her way in the end.

Sakura exited the women's restroom of the restaurant, heading back to the booth Eriol was seated at. He offered her backpack back to her, and she took it, slipping her toothbrush inside one of the pouches. She handed him the tube of toothpaste and his toothbrush. He grabbed them and left for the men's restroom.

She paid for the food while she waited for Eriol to come out. When he did, looking refreshed and ready to go, Sakura gestured towards the door. He nodded. Eriol walked over to it and held it open for her in his gentlemanly way. She smiled at him and went past him. He followed.

Suppi was chewing on something when they reached him. That something oozed blood. Sakura shuddered to think of what poor creature that used to be. Suppi appeared to be enjoying her discomfort. He nosed the remains of the animal to her feet and looked up at her. If he were a human he'd be smirking.

"Why do you hate me?" Sakura moaned before she shut her eyes in disgust and started in a different direction. She heard Eriol chuckle at her.

"Want to split up today, Eriol?" she suggested as they walked. "I feel like being alone for a couple of hours."

Eriol would have rolled his eyes if he weren't so... Eriol. "You _always _want to be alone."

"That's not true!"

"It's me, isn't it?"

"Of course not. I _like _you, Eriol. You're way more than a bodyguard to me."

When he raised his eyebrows at her, she blushed. "You know what I mean. We're friends. Really close frie—" She abruptly shut her mouth as she realized the neighborhood they had just entered wasn't quiet.

"You will not. I absolutely forbid it," a man up ahead was saying. He and a girl that faintly resembled him stood on a porch outside one of the houses. The man was one of those big, burly types who wouldn't hesitate to snap at anyone who looked his way funny. The girl, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, held something in her hands. She shifted slightly, and Sakura saw what it was: a hollow glass heart. A ray of sunlight broke through the thick clouds and hit the dull gold ring on her finger, making it glint.

"Dad, you can't do that! I love him!" cried the girl.

Sakura and Eriol exchanged curious glances. This was going to dramatic, they could tell. Sakura could feel the guilt creeping up, telling her that they shouldn't be listening to what was clearly a private conversation. But something made her stay.

The girl's father crossed his arms. "You're a teenager. You don't know what you want. _I _do, and I know you're not marrying him."

"He already proposed to me! You can't—"

"I'm canceling the engagement."

Alarm flitted across his daughter's face. "You don't have the authority," she began.

"Yes, I do. I'm your father. I raised you."

"Dad—!"

"You're not marrying him, and that's final!" he roared, losing his patience. "Your arranged marriage to that other boy had been decided three days after you were born. I'm not calling it off so you can go frolic with some bastard you met in school!"

The girl's grip on the glass heart visibly tightened. If she tightened it any further she would probably crack it. "He is not a bastard! He's a perfect gentleman and you know it!" she argued, beginning to sound helpless.

Her father seemed to notice that she was giving up. "So?" he pressed on. "Who cares if he has manners? The point is, he's dirt poor! He has no money and he won't be able to support you at all. The other boy—"

"Oh, so I should marry _him_ because he's loaded?"

"Exactly. The engagement is final."

"Do you even know his name?" This seemed to be the girl's last feeble attempt at an argument with her father.

"His name eludes me at the moment, but I do know it."

"See, Dad, you barely know his name! You don't know anything about him besides the fact that he's rich."

"I know enough. I know that in six months, once you marry him, you won't ever have to work again! Think about it. The boy—"

"He is _not _a boy! He's _four _years older than I am. He is a _man_, and he's far too old for me!"

"He is not. Your mother is six years younger than I am."

Then the girl lost it, her self-control and her will to fight back. "That's why she's cheating on you with two other men!" she screamed at him.

He struck her.

The force of the girl's father's blow was strong enough to knock her back a few steps. Her hand shot out and grabbed onto a windowsill to keep herself from falling. She regained her balance, but the heart slipped from her grasp and exploded into a million glass shards on the ground. After that moment, the neighborhood was still. Sakura hardly dared to breathe lest she disturb the stillness.

"Hey!" the man yelled suddenly. "This isn't a show. Get out of here!"

It wasn't until Sakura felt Eriol take her wrist in his hand did she realize that the man's words were directed at the two of them. He was glaring at them, Eriol particularly. This guy had something against the male species, it seemed.

His daughter slowly raised her head from her position against the wall of her house. She stared right into Sakura's eyes. Rivulets of tears were streaming down her face, her eyes swollen from crying. A glaring red mark stood out on her left cheek where her father's hand struck her. Strands of her chestnut hair were beginning to come out of her pretty braids and were falling into her eyes. She didn't brush them away. She continued to stare at Sakura intensely, as if trying desperately to communicate with her. _Please help me, _her eyes were saying.

Sakura couldn't move. She felt herself being pulled into the girl's intense look. In her eyes Sakura saw a sadness so deep, she could feel something tugging at her heart, something she hadn't experienced for a long time. Sympathy.

"What the hell are you, deaf? I said get out of here!" hollered the man again, his large hands balling into fists. They twitched threateningly.

Eriol squeezed Sakura's wrist, bringing her out of her trance. She tore her eyes away from the pitiful girl and her abusive father. She allowed Eriol to lead her away, determinedly keeping her face forward. But behind them, the girl's father wasn't done talking.

"And you," Sakura heard him snarl, "you're going straight to your room. Don't think about coming out until you've told that bastard the engagement is cancelled."

"_Dad!_" wailed his daughter miserably.

"I don't want to hear it._ Go__!_"

The girl let out a choked sob. The last thing Sakura heard before turning the corner was the sound of a door slamming.

Sakura kept up with Eriol's brisk walking. They had lapsed into another one of their customary silences, though this one had an uncomfortable feel to it. Suppi, who had gotten used to his master and occasional mistress not talking, contentedly trotted half a block ahead of them.

"Where would you like to meet?" asked Eriol softly, deciding to break the silence.

Sakura glanced at him for a moment, then turned away. "Doesn't matter. You pick," she murmured.

"All right." Eriol said nothing after that, and Sakura, assuming that he was finished talking, began to think of places to meet. But Eriol spoke up a while later. The pause only meant he was thinking.

"Our alley, then," he chose. "Six o' clock, we'll meet there to have something to eat. Then we'll take a brief rest before leaving for the next town. Sound okay?"

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. "I'll see you later, then."

After they had parted, it came to her suddenly.

Eriol's and Tomoyo's smiles were identical.

* * *

When Sakura was out of sight, Eriol sat down on the curb with a sigh, pulling his knees closer to his chest. He dropped his head into his arms tiredly.

_"It's your turn, Hiiragizawa. The enchantment of the kindred spirits." _The dream-girl's parting words repeated themselves over and over again in his head, like a never ending mantra. _"Your turn... the enchantment... kindred spirits... enchantment... kindred... spirit..." _

Suppi barked suddenly, making Eriol jump, but it also made the girl's whispery voice go away. He silently thanked Suppi before falling back onto the cracked sidewalk.

_I hate being weak, _he groaned inwardly.

Then, opening his eyes, he prayed to the sky, _Why, Clow? _

* * *

"Wow..." breathed Sakura, staring in awe at the park before her. It was _massive._ It made the park she saw in Tokyo so long ago seem tiny in comparison. The most significant difference, besides the size, between the two parks was that the majority of the trees in this park were cherry blossom trees. Despite the still-frosty weather, they were beginning to blossom. It was a beautiful sight. Not breathtaking exactly, but pretty nonetheless.

A strong gust of wind almost made her reconsider her plan of staying in the park for the following two hours. But she didn't know where else to go to kill time, so she went through the arched, intricately carved entrance.

Several people were scattered throughout the park. It seemed that they, too, were drawn to the park's beauty. They probably inwardly suffered from the chilly winds but were too mesmerized by the cherry blossom trees to care. Sakura wandered aimlessly through the park, carefully taking in all the scenery, not knowing precisely what she was searching for. She followed a seemingly endless cement path until she caught sight of some flat, round, marble tiles set in the patchy yellow-green grass, leading off to an area unknown.

Embracing the need to express her hidden childish urges, she strayed off the cement pathway and hopped onto a marble step. It was very smooth, Sakura found out the hard way, polished to the point where it shone. No later than the moment after she shifted her weight to the foot on the marble step, she lost her footing and slipped to the hard ground with a yelp. That attracted the attention of others nearby. As they watched her with mild curiosity, Sakura began to giggle. It surprised her, for she only giggled when she was around Eriol. Rather than ceasing her giggles, they intensified into incessant laughter. Thinking she was a madwoman of some sort, onlookers went back to their own businesses and pretended that Sakura wasn't there.

She remained randomly laughing on the ground, seeming like someone who should be locked up in an asylum. Her laughter ended sharply when she realized that the coldness of the frozen earth was seeping through her pants, making her butt go numb. She picked herself off of the grass—with people still openly staring—and dusted herself off self-consciously, noticing how strange she had just acted. A sudden thought hit her hard as she moved to grab her backpack from a short distance away. She froze. What if those people were staring because they were beginning to recognize her? Her hand immediately went to her head and was immensely relieved to find that her cap was still snug over her hair, the brim shading her eyes. But if that weren't the case, why were those people still watching her?

_I need to think, _she realized wearily. She scarcely had time to reflect to herself due to the events of the day before. Thinking would do her some good. It would prevent her from hallucinating any further.

Sakura strode back onto a cement path—wisely choosing not to use the marble stepping stones—to find a peaceful spot to think. She glanced over her shoulder to see if those people were still watching her, but their attention had already wandered elsewhere. So they hadn't recognized her after all. Good. Eriol had warned her about the risks of not having him around to be her guard. She hated to be reprimanded by him about her carelessness.

She considered seating herself on one of the benches, but they were all out in the open, practically an invitation for people to come scrutinize her and try to recollect where they had seen her face before. Being on the run certainly increased her paranoia, as Eriol had so bluntly pointed out, though she had corrected him with a huff that it was simply vigilance. She went on.

She passed several more benches, each one far too exposed, and so she ignored them. It only took a little while longer for Sakura to find the right place. It was a quaint little swing set, with only two seats. It was located in an area empty of people, and better yet, on each side of the swings, were two cheery blossom trees, providing security and protection. It was the image of tranquility. If only the sky were less grey. Rain was on its way.

When Sakura neared the area, she saw that some forget-me-not flowers, a plant requiring shade, had sprouted around the trees that shared her name. Smiling lightly, she went over and plucked one of the miniscule flowers from the ground. She stood up and reached out towards a cherry blossom. With both flowers in her hand, she compared them, side by side. One tiny, one larger. Blue and pink. Both pretty and delicate. When placed together, the flowers spelled out a message. _Don't forget Sakura_, they said.

She smiled wryly and let the flowers drop to her feet. "I don't want to be forgotten," she said softly. "But if that's what's needed to survive, then fine. Let it be." She moved to the swing set. She sat down on one of the seats and began swinging; her feet dragged lazily across the dirt. Without meaning to, she started to muse over the night before.

It was murder. She hadn't meant to kill Yukio. She didn't remember what she intended to do with his knife. Scare him, perhaps. Certainly not kill him. Sakura saw in her head the image of herself gripping the tainted pocketknife in her hand, blood as red as poinsettias dripping from her fingers. She saw Yukio fall forward, agonizingly slowly, and then his entire frame shook as he was hit with that terrible coughing fit. When it ceased, the silence in her mind was entirely too loud. She grasped the sides of her head and groaned.

"Go away," she shouted, shutting her eyes, willing the picture to dissipate. Just when it did, something significant occurred to her, something she had neglected. She yelped and shot up, her eyes widening as she remembered.

_The body! Oh, shit... _She clapped her hands to her face and sat back down. Yukio's body was still out there, just waiting for a carefree child to stumble upon it accidentally. How could she have been so daft as to forget? If the authorities found out that it was her and Eriol's fault—

No. They wouldn't suspect that. They couldn't. She was supposed to be gone, lost in another section of Japan. And Eriol was a foreigner; nobody knew who he was. They would be safe. But—that poor child who would be traumatized for the rest of his or her life...

Sakura shook her head immediately, shaking the guilt out of it. As she did this, her eyes caught sight of something resting on the other swing seat. She straightened up and leaned over to take a closer inspection.

It was small, furry, and light pink in color, Sakura could see. She gave it a tentative poke to make sure it wasn't alive, and when it didn't twitch or explode, she picked it up.

It wasn't an animal at all, but a wristband, and a very well made one at that. Sakura flipped it over and noticed that the creator had embroidered the image of a blue flower on it. Moving the wristband nearer to her face, she realized that the flower was a forget-me-not. She glanced at the flowers at the foot of the trees towering overhead. The girl who made this must have used one of the forget-me-nots as a guide.

Sakura weighed the wristband in one hand. She wanted to keep it—it was so pretty—but that overwhelming guilt swept over her the instant she even considered it. Damn that Hiiragizawa. He was having too much of an influence on her.

A noise in front of her made her look up. Her eyes met another pair of eyes—unfriendly, emotionless ones. Naturally, Sakura reacted instantly. She let out a squeak of surprise and fell off the swing in a most ungraceful manner. The person didn't offer to help her up.

"Nice," was all he said, flatly.

If Sakura wasn't so preoccupied with picking herself off the ground, she would have shot a glare at the speaker, whoever he was.

"Who are you to sneak up on me like that?" she demanded once she was on her feet, trying to cover up her clumsy fall. She pulled her cap back over her hair, then raised her head.

For some reason, she was caught off guard. Instead of finding the punky teenager she'd been expecting, she saw a man not much older than her. Her eyes scanned him discreetly, from his ruffled, chocolate-brown hair to the tip of his shoes. Whoever this guy was, one thing was blatant. He was from a much higher-class family than Sakura.

The man appeared to have just left work. He was certainly dressed the part, with hard work shoes, black trousers, a black jacket, a white dress shirt underneath, and a grey tie. Although his attire was professional, the way he wore it was not. The jacket was unbuttoned, the shirt untucked, and the tie loosened. The fact that he had a hand inside his trouser pocket made him look like he really would rather not talk to someone like her.

"That's not yours," he said, instead of answering her question.

Sakura was annoyed. "What are you talking about?" she retorted.

"The wristband." He didn't say it out loud, but she heard the _idiot _that followed after.

She discovered that she was still holding onto it. Her inner voice told her to hand it over, but she herself wasn't going to let him get away so smoothly. "Well, it sure as hell isn't yours," she found herself saying. "Unless you like pink wristbands and forget-me-not flowers." Then she bit her tongue, hearing just how rude that was. She didn't know how dangerous this man could be. He could be another Yukio.

It was the man's turn to be irritated. "I happen to have a sister. It's hers. She made it," he responded, his words curt.

"How do I know you're not lying?" When the words left her mouth, Sakura instantly was reminded of that day six months ago when she first met Eriol, and how she refused to trust him until she had interrogated everything she could out of him. Was she wrong to distrust this man, too?

But she had reasons this time. For one thing, he looked annoyed with her, and Eriol had not, even after all her false accusations. Secondly, she just didn't like him. He gave off such an air of superiority and wealth that made her feel so grubby in her plain jacket and jeans, compared to him and his pricey suit.

Again, rather than providing a proper response to her question, he withdrew his hand from his pocket and pushed back the sleeve. He glanced impatiently at the—silver? white gold? platinum?—watch around his wrist then shoved his hand back into the pocket. "I have an important conference I need to be at in five minutes," he said coldly, looking Sakura straight in the eyes. She flinched and looked away, unable to hold his gaze. She hated herself for showing weakness.

He held out his hand. "Just give me the wristband. You're wasting my time."

Sakura grasped the wristband in her hand, stuck between handing it over to the mysterious man or running off with it. She listened to what her inner voice had to say about the matter, and then obeyed it. She dropped the wristband onto the man's palm, deciding that he was being sincere. Why else would a man his age want a pink wristband with the image of a flower stitched into it?

He snatched it abruptly, and without another word, he spun around and left. Sakura continued to watch him as he strode away. He tucked the wristband away and pulled out a cell phone, swiftly dialing a number. By the time he had the phone against his ear, he was too far away for her to eavesdrop.

She plopped back down on the swing seat, blinking confusedly. Who _was_ that guy? Whoever he was, she was just relieved he was merely one of those robotic businessmen with a tight schedule and not a hot-tempered criminal.

She began swinging back and forth slowly, adding enough force so that she could feel the air fluttering against her face but not so much that her feet would leave the ground. She was quick to notice that it wasn't sufficient. Too peaceful. She wanted to soar as high up as possible, leave her troubles behind. She pushed her feet against the dirt to force herself back, and then kicked her legs forward as the swing started to come back down. The wind stung her eyes as her body swung up. She closed them and allowed herself to push the events that had been troubling her out of her mind.

Something stung her cheek, and it wasn't the wind. Sakura brought her hand to her face. Her fingers encountered wet skin.

_Is it—raining? _As she completed the thought, a drop of water fell from the sky and splashed onto her nose. Another landed on the sleeve of her jacket. Then, quick as lightning, water began to pour from the heavens.

A groan erupted from her throat. The things in her backpack were going to be soaked! She eased herself off the still-moving swing seat and dashed to the nearest tree, using it as shelter from the rain. The last thing she needed was pneumonia.

The tree's young blossoms weren't quite enough to shield her from the barrage of rain. She counted to five in her head before leaving the tree to find a drier place, pulling her hat over her eyes as the rain hit her hard.

It wasn't until ten minutes later did she finally decide to duck into a movie theater, shivering from the cold. Some motherly-looking people inside gave her sympathetic looks, but other than that she was generally ignored. All she had to do was wait without being kicked out for loitering. When the girl selling popcorn started shooting Sakura hostile looks, she slipped into the restroom and locked herself inside one of the stalls.

It was torture, hanging around doing absolutely nothing while wearing wet clothes. But after two hours crept by, she left the theater to find Eriol and Suppi.

She ran as fast as her two feet could manage, trying to make her way to her alley without slipping on the slick streets. When she got there—tripping only once—instead of finding Eriol, she found a sopping wet cardboard box, the unrelenting rain continuing to beat it down.

_If he's not here, then where? _She knew it was the correct time. She had checked the clock inside the movie theater. She ran out as soon as the hands on the clock aligned at the twelve and six. Where could they be?

Sakura permitted him several more minutes, and when he didn't show up, she went out to hunt for him. Maybe he was looking for her, too. Drenched and miserable, she searched through each block, hoping for a glimpse of Eriol, or even Suppi. Nothing. No one. She hesitated for a fraction of a second when she saw a figure in a dark blue jacket huddled up on the ground some meters away. She took a tiny step towards him, but then shook her head. She wanted to help him, but Eriol came first. She reluctantly moved on.

_Eriol has a blue blazer_.

She stumbled back into that street as soon as the thought hit her. She squinted at the person, trying to distinguish details. Trying to prove that it wasn't her friend.

She made out a blue jacket, jeans, dark hair, and glasses. It had to be him.

Taking a wavering breath, she called out his name. "Eriol," she said, the word coming out tiny and choked. The severity of the situation caught up with her. Blinking back tears of fear, she ran to him. "Eriol!" she tried to scream; the heavy rain muffled her voice. She dropped down to his side, not caring in the least that her knees had landed in a puddle of murky water, and grabbed hold of him, attempting to shake him awake.

No use. He was out cold.

"Eriol, _please,_ wake up," she pleaded desperately. She gave him a final shake. He didn't stir, only stayed limp in her arms. And Suppi, who had never once left his master's side, was nowhere in sight.

This couldn't be happening. Eriol, in his condition, couldn't afford to get sick. Past stories of people dying from pneumonia rushed through Sakura's mind. That didn't help.

Not one bit.

A car horn honked behind her, making her jump. "Hey, need some help?" someone shouted.

Sakura whipped around, searching for source of the voice. She didn't have to look far. Barely five feet before her was a silver car. A boy with spiky black hair sat in the driver's seat, the one who had spoken. The window was rolled down. There was the silhouette of another person in the passenger's seat.

Sakura raced to the car. "Please help me!" she begged. For once, the rules she had created for living on the streets was completely forgotten. "My—my brother, he needs—" She stopped talking upon seeing the identity of the second person. She cried out in surprise.

"It's you!"

* * *

**A/N**: Yes, a cliffhanger. I feel even worse now for leaving a cliffhanger, without knowing how long it'll take for me to update again. Please, please, _please_ pray that it won't be two months.

So. Lots has happened since my last update. I really hope I didn't lose all my readers. Are you guys all busy with your studies, too? That could be why everyone's dead around here. Anyway, I'm a year older now! Wish me a happy birthday? Also, I just took on my fourth job as a beta reader, and this time, the writer is a male. His chapters are long, so it takes me several days to edit them. He's an excellent writer, though, so that's good. Thank him for inspiring me to complete this chapter. But with that, studying for my exams, and the mad rush to pull up my math grade before the end of the term going on, writing a new chapter may take a while. Drop a review on your way out of here? My life has been so tiring lately, and a little review would perk me up. Thanks in advance for all of you who'll review.

Yes, you can tell me off for not updating.

Until next time,

- Mimi

P.S. Choco, are you even alive, woman? You can't possibly be /that/ busy, can you? Give your readers a sign!


	7. Grandeur

**A/N**: Here are the horrible results of four months' worth of typing, editing, cursing, and slaving over my dad's laptop that I pretty much claimed as my own. I've made several changes during my, er, hiatus, you could say. Nothing major, just little things. Mostly, I went back and added/removed some words. One of the genres of the fic (drama) has been changed to friendship. I changed the summary, too. As in the one you see when you click on the story. I didn't really like the old one. I don't like this new one, either, but I can never settle with anything.

That's really it. This chapter was the hardest for me to write so far. Why? Because I fell into a plothole. I'm going to tell you now, it's mostly an informative chapter. But there are spots where you can tell that I had been drinking a little too much soda. Just... read it. Rejoice. I updated.

**Disclaimer**: How many times must I say this line? Cardcaptor Sakura is not mine.

* * *

_**F o r g e t – M e – N o t**_

**_B y : E n t r a n c i a_**

_Chapter Seven: Grandeur_

* * *

"It's you!"

Sakura looked past the driver and at the man in the passenger's seat. He stared back with disinterest. There was no mistaking that chocolate-brown hair, that impassive expression that told her he didn't give a damn about her problems, the formal suit wore in such an informal way. It was the same man she met in the park mere hours ago.

The young man with darker hair glanced between the two, confusion etched in his face. "Do you know each other?" he asked, scratching his head.

The man from the park broke eye contact and faced forward. "No," he said. "We don't."

She spared him a heated glare before remembering why she was standing outside in the middle of a storm, numb and shivering from the rain. Ignoring the vulgar man, she turned to the younger one—a boy, really. Her mind worked rapidly, and within a couple seconds she had a little white lie playing in her head. "Please," she said, "my brother just had surgery, and when we tried to walk back home, he suddenly collapsed. Could you please, _please_ help him?" Although this statement was false, the tears that had started to stream down her face in addition to the rain were genuine.

The boy regarded her carefully for several seconds, then flashed her a reassuring grin. "It's no problem," he answered. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Go ahead, get your brother in. Don't worry about the water. The ride won't take long, just twenty minutes or so."

Sakura thanked him graciously and went back to Eriol. He was curled up on the cold ground, his entire body exposed to the steady rain. She drew her arms around him and pulled the boy into a sort of sitting position. If she had thought it was strenuous carrying him before, this time he was positively a dead weight with the water weighing him down.

The boy with spiky hair left the sanctuary of his dry car and moved to the two on the ground. "Let me help," he offered, crouching down. He grabbed Eriol's arm and slung it around his own neck. Sakura followed suit and brought Eriol's other arm around her neck.

"Ready?" asked the boy. She nodded, and together they stood, supporting the unconscious Eriol up.

The boy grunted slightly. "Your brother is kind of heavy. Getting him to the car might be a little tough. We might even drop him once or twice." At the look of horror that crossed Sakura's face, he hurriedly added, "Just joking, of course. I'll be careful, I promise. Oh wait, hold on." He adjusted his hold on Eriol, and then he yelled out to the car, "Hey, Syaoran, lend us a hand over here?"

The man he had called Syaoran looked up, eying Sakura and Eriol, Sakura especially.

"No." That was it. Short, brusque.

The boy turned back to Sakura, rolling his eyes. "Businessmen these days. They're so uptight. He's lucky he's my best friend or else he'd have to walk home. Hey," he said suddenly, "you sure you two haven't met before? He doesn't seem to—ah—you know. _Like_ you. Then again, he doesn't like many people."

"Can we get my brother to the car, please? He's not well."

"Oh, right." He appeared to be sheepish. "Sorry. Everyone always says that I talk too much for my own good. Come on, let's get the poor guy inside."

They migrated to the car, little by little. Sakura tried her best to not drag Eriol too much.

"Open it," said the boy, gesturing at the car door with his elbow.

Sakura looked at the handle of the car blankly, her hand pausing in midair. She hadn't been in close proximity to a car for ages; she had nearly forgotten how it functioned. It was much shinier than she remembered. She stared, transfixed.

"What's wrong? Is the door stuck?" asked the boy after a moment of her stillness.

Sakura snapped out of her trance. "It's nothing. I was just—thinking."

"Well, would you mind thinking _inside_? In case you haven't noticed, it's wet. Really wet," he said. "It's ruining my hair."

Sakura reached out and pulled on the door handle with a muttered, "Men."

He heard her. He grinned. "Nope. Still a boy, still immature. Got lots of growing up to do, unlike my friend over there." He lowered Eriol's limp body into his car. He stepped back, looked at Sakura. "All right. In you go." He gave her a little nudge forward.

She jerked a little when he touched her but forced herself to not shrink away, reminding herself that he was doing her a very generous favor. She slid onto the car seat beside Eriol. "Watch your feet," cautioned the boy. Sakura pulled her legs into the car, and he shut the door. He walked around his car quickly and plopped down in the driver's seat. He immediately peered into the mirror.

"Aw, my hair's all messed up now," he complained lightly, combing his fingers through his matted locks.

Syaoran decided to give up his silent status and scoffed. "It's not like it looked good in the first place," he muttered.

His friend gave him a withering look. "Well, Mister Perfect, at least_ I_ risked my hair in the rain to help a lady in need."

"I hardly call her a lady."

Sakura sat up straighter at that. "Hey, I'm still here," she said dryly.

"And?"

She could feel the taunt of that single word like a prod in the back with a stick, edging her on. Fine. If he wanted to resort to childish acts, she would have to be the mature one.

Or she could just sink to his level. Yeah, that sounded more appealing.

But before she could reply to that, his friend spoke up. "Don't let Syaoran get to you, Miss. You know how businessmen are," he said mildly, putting the car into drive.

Syaoran grunted but said nothing, reverting back to his stony silence.

The other boy turned in his seat and looked at her. "Do you have a name? Unless you want me to call you 'Miss' the whole car ride."

Sakura blinked, then glanced at Eriol. Her fingers laced through his for comfort. "My name? It's, uh, Hiiragizawa Sak—" She stopped, hesitating for a quick moment. Should she give her real first name? It would probably be safe. There were sixty thousand other Sakuras residing in Japan, anyway. "I'm Hiiragizawa Sakura. And you are?" she asked. She didn't exactly care one way or another what his name was, but she remembered it was the polite thing to say, and he had been so courteous to her already.

The boy began driving forward. "Oh, I'm just Yamazaki Takashi. Nothing special. I'm pretty sure you already know who he is." He indicated his mute friend.

Sakura leaned back into her seat. "Aside from his first name, I know nothing about him."

"Really?" Yamazaki seemed truly surprised—shocked, even—by her answer. "You must either have been isolated from civilization or you came from a faraway city. Everyone around here knows who Li Syaoran is."

She fixed her gaze to the shoulder of the man they were discussing, hoping that her heated glare would burn a hole in it. "Let me guess. He's one of those stuck-up CEOs of big time companies that everyone's heard of," she said before she could stop herself. She winced. Had she been too rude? Would Yamazaki decide to throw her out of his car?

But he merely shrugged. His eyes flickered to Li for a moment, as if worried that her words had angered him, but Li remained stubbornly taciturn. "Yeah, Syaoran's pretty well-known around here. And so is his company. I work there, too, but I'm just one of the smaller workers. Syaoran only hired me because we're friends. He's at the top, since he inherited the entire business. What do you do, Hiiragizawa-san?"

She was about to remind him that Eriol wasn't in a state to be spoken to, but then she realized that he was talking to her. She had to get used to being called by that name. "Um, what was that?"

"Your job," he explained. "What do you do?"

Caught off guard, she bit her lip, sinking down further into her seat. What sort of question was that? She had to give him an answer. "I, um... get... get paid to—er... s-sing," she said lamely.

As unconvincing as that was, Yamazaki seemed to buy it. The guy was a gullible idiot. "Really? Sounds like a fun occupation. Do people ask you to perform at parties or something?"

Sakura would have answered affirmatively just to shut him up, but her brain contradicted her at once. Singing had never been one of her talents, so if he wanted hire her for party of his she would have to whip up another lie about why she couldn't attend. And she was starting to become sick of lying, to her disgust. She was going soft. "I only sing at—at night, er, clubs. Nightclubs," was all she could think of. Mentally, she smacked herself. Her ability to lie effortlessly was definitely deteriorating.

He raised his eyebrows at her in the rearview mirror. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," she answered automatically, and wanted to shoot herself afterward for not remembering that the legal age is twenty.

But he didn't pay attention to that. She saw him frown slightly, almost pouting. "Everyone is older than me," he complained. "Even my girlfriend is, I think. I'm not sure, actually. She's going to kill me for forgetting her birthday. Oh, wait, what about your brother? He looks young." He was brightening up at the thought.

"He's my older brother," she replied, crushing his hopeful expression. She felt a twinge of sadistic satisfaction.

His pout returned. "Oh. Well, forget about that. What's your favorite color, then? I don't really have one because I like almost all colors, but if I absolutely had to choose one it would be dark blue, like my pants. Well, not really like these pants now that the rain made it darken to an almost black, but you get the idea. What's yours?" he babbled.

Suppressing an exasperated sigh, she told him it was red, a darker version of what it had been last year. He said it was cool and that it had been his favorite three weeks ago, then started telling her about a party he'd recently hosted.

The duration of the trip continued on like that, with Yamazaki blabbing endlessly about everything and nothing. Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have rested her head against the window of the car and block out the incessant chatter. But having her traveling companion lying unconscious and sopping wet inside a stranger's car could hardly be considered "normal," even with her bizarre lifestyle. In addition to that, Yamazaki kept interrogating her on the most random of subjects, pressing and pressing until she supplied him with a monosyllable answer. He was giving her a migraine. The boy just didn't know when to shut up. She couldn't see his face, but she was sure Li was smirking, taking pleasure in her irritation.

_It's to save Eriol,_ she reminded herself, eye twitching as Yamazaki launched into a lengthy joke about strawberry gelatin, a twig, and a stuffed rabbit. It wasn't funny in the least, but she said a feeble "Ha, ha" to satisfy him once he finished. He grinned and ceased talking for ten seconds. The quiet had been blissful. Then his rambling began again, and her peace ended.

Sakura must have nodded off at one point or another because she was startled awake when Yamazaki yelled out sharply. She began to get off of Eriol—whom she had used as a pillow—but, having neglected to secure herself down with a seatbelt, was instantly thrown off her seat and onto the floor as Yamazaki stamped on the brakes, the car screeching to an precarious stop. Eriol's foot slipped down and collided with the back of her head, smearing dirt and bits of leaves into her hair.

As she pulled Eriol's foot off her head and struggled to get up, Yamazaki twisted around and beamed at her. "We're here," he said in his nauseatingly cheery way. "Syaoran's house."

Sakura scrambled back onto her seat before he—or worse, Li—could fully notice that she had made a fool of herself by falling off. She plucked a leaf out of her hair and peered out the window to see what sort of place he brought her to—and did a double take. She blinked three times at the scene before her eyes. That was no house she was openly gawking at.

Li lived in a mansion. A freaking, bloody _mansion._

_Colossal _was the only word that could adequately describe it. It was a practically a modernized version of a castle, completely surrounded by trimmed hedges covering a fence stretching a hundred meters into the sky. A fancy iron gate greeted them at the front. They swung open as Yamazaki drove forward. As the distance between Li's home and the car narrowed, Sakura raised her head to stare up at the mansion. She counted six floors and only got up to thirty-seven windows before the car pulled up so close to the building she had to strain her neck in order to get a good view from her angle.

The moment the car stopped moving, Sakura saw the double doors of the mansion heave open. A man emerged and drifted to Li's side of the car. The man, his figure distorted by the raindrops that clung to the window, pulled open the car door.

"Welcome back, Syaoran-sama," Sakura heard him say as Li exited the vehicle. He was a nice looking elderly man in a suit. "I apologize for the lack of an umbrella. They were all destroyed by one of the puppies. I shall have Sumi-san bring a towel."

"Thank you, Wei."

She was astonished that Li had manners.

Yamazaki removed his keys from the ignition and pocketed them. "Wait right there. I'll help you out," he said to Sakura. He got out of the car, waving dismissively at Wei, who moved to assist him. "You don't have to do that every time, Wei-san. I can get out myself."

Wei bowed. "Of course, Yamazaki-san. Shall I attend to your guests?"

"It's okay. I can help them. You get back inside, Wei-san. We don't want you getting sick."

"Thank you, Yamazaki-san. You are very kind." Wei gave another bow and vanished inside the mansion after Li.

The door on Eriol's side was opened, and Yamazaki poked his head in.

"Time to go inside," he told her. As she helped him carry Eriol into the great building, Sakura knew this was going to be a long day. And definitely not an ordinary one.

* * *

From the sofa where Yamazaki instructed Sakura to sit, she saw that Li had his arms folded across his chest, a hard look on his face. "And why exactly do they have to stay here? I never agreed to this," he grumbled.

"But you never objected to it, either," replied Yamazaki cheekily.

"But even if I did, you wouldn't have listened. Why didn't you take them to your home?"

The younger man shrugged. "I can't. We don't have any space. You know that. You have eight hundred unoccupied rooms. Have a heart—pick one and let the guy rest in there for the day. Ask your sister to help him. Isn't she a medic or something?"

"She's only training, but I don't want her to lay a finger on him," said Li with a scowl. He removed his jacket and passed it to a maid hovering nearby, who had been staring him with an utmost intensity. She scurried off and came back an instant later, the jacket gone, replaced by a fluffy towel. Li took it from her and used it to dry off his hair. Sakura had to seize a decorative pillow to smother her snort when she saw how his dark hair stuck up in twelve directions. Luckily, he didn't, or chose not to, hear her and tossed the damp towel at the maid, giving her a little nod, a sign that she was dismissed. Her face fell a little, as if she were expecting something else, but she bowed twice, once at each man, and left.

Li tried to tidy his hair by combing his fingers through it. That only made it messier, but instead of looking silly, he looked rather... rather...

No. She was _not_ going to finish that thought.

They were headed towards her. At least, Yamazaki was. Li was going in the opposite direction, clearly not wanting anything to do with the filthy girl in his lounge. She stuck out her tongue at his back.

"Looks like you're staying here," stated Yamazaki happily as he reached her. But then he lowered his voice, appearing more solemn. "Listen, I'm really sorry about how Syaoran is treating you. He—"

Sakura didn't allow him to finish. "It's okay. I don't mind, really. I'm used to it by now." The last part was said so quietly she was certain the boy hadn't heard her.

"Well, he's a nice guy once you get to know him. He's a little bitter from a dilemma he's been dealing with during the past few months, so hopefully that'll pass soon. He hated me when I first met him. Actually" —he looked thoughtful— "I'm not sure if he still does or not. I mean, we're best friends—at least, to my knowledge. I still can't figure him out sometimes. Am I helping?"

"Not really."

He laughed. "Anyway, you get the point. Just try not to strangle him during your stay."

"No promises there," she said under her breath. To Yamazaki, she said, "I won't."

"Good. Let's find a place for your brother."

Choosing a room sounded straightforward enough. Li's mansion contained, quite literally, eight hundred unoccupied rooms. It couldn't be too tricky to find one. But then Yamazaki explained that Li had provided guidelines in picking the ideal room. By Li's standards, _ideal _meant that it could not be on the same floors as his or his sister's rooms. Li's room was on the first floor. His sister's was on the second. They had no other choice but to settle for one on the third floor.

Transporting Eriol to the room was no easy mission. Sakura suggested that they use a stretcher of some sort, but, being the man he was, Yamazaki insisted on carrying Eriol.

Several flights of stairs later, the two were sliding Eriol into a king-sized bed inside an enormous guest bedroom.

Yamazaki moved back a little. "I wish your brother was awake. He seems like a cool guy. We could be friends."

"What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "He just has that look, you know? He looks like the type of guy who acts cool, calm, and collected in every situation. Hey, you must want a chair. I'll get you one." Sakura began to protest, but he was already out of the room.

_He needs to put less sugar in his coffee. Or switch to decaf, _she thought. She had never met anyone like him before. He was always going going going, never pausing to breathe.

She scarcely had time to move before Yamazaki returned with a wooden chair and a glass of water. He set the chair down in front of Sakura. The glass of water was placed on a table.

"Here you go," he said, beaming at her for some reason. "I figured you'd be thirsty, so I brought you some water, too."

"Thanks," said Sakura, feeling awkward. She took a sip of the water to please him. He continued to grin at her, as if he had achieved a great goal.

Suddenly he stopped smiling. "Oh, you probably want to spend some time with your brother, huh? I'll leave you alone for a while. Sound all right with you?" At her nod, he turned and exited the room. "Just call if you need anything, okay?" she heard him add, his voice echoing in the vast hallway.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of the boy. After dropping her backpack into a corner of the room, she went to attend to Eriol. She pulled Eriol into a sitting position and slid off his damp blazer, tossing it to the side of the bed. Then she smoothed out his shirt, removed his shoes, and dabbed at the dirt that streaked his face with her sleeve. Ever so gently, she laid him back down, pulling the comforter up to his chest.

"I'll be expecting a detailed explanation when you wake up, Eriol," she whispered. Hesitantly, she planted a light kiss to his cheek.

"It's nice to see you again, Sakura-chan," came a serene voice behind her.

Sakura jumped at the unanticipated intrusion, nearly toppling onto Eriol. She regained her composure, then straightened up and turned to face the new speaker. Her eyes opened wide at the girl waiting at the room's entrance.

"Daidouji?" said Sakura disbelievingly, gaping at the person standing by the door. She stood politely, a crackled glass vase filled with peonies in her hands. Sakura could scarcely recall what the girl looked like, but she definitely remembered the flowing purple hair that tumbled down her back. Then she spotted that messenger bag she had been asked to rummage through just a day before. Sakura was positive it was the same person who had assisted her with Eriol.

The girl shook her head. "It's Tomoyo, remember? Not Daidouji." She walked further into the room and set the vase of flowers she had been holding down on the table near Eriol's bed, next to the water glass. "Just thought this room needed a little more color," she explained.

"What are you doing here?" spilled out of Sakura's mouth.

Tomoyo merely adjusted the vase's position on the table and smiled sweetly at Sakura. "I live here. What other explanation is there?" She glided over to Eriol without another word. Her gaze descended upon his face. "He really is pale, isn't he?" she murmured, reaching a flawless hand down to brush some hair away from his closed eyes. "There. That looks a little better, don't you think?"

But Sakura had frozen after Tomoyo said she lived here, that this was her home. "You live with Li?" she had to ask, unable to stray off the subject. _Are they a couple?_ she wondered. It was difficult to envision that sweet girl with a man of his type.

Tomoyo slid her hand off Eriol's face. She moved to look at Sakura. "Syaoran, you mean?"

Sakura nodded.

"Why, of course. After all, siblings have been known to dwell under the same roof."

The image of the dour-faced man with the bird's nest of chocolate brown hair, rigid posture, and aloof eyes flashed in Sakura's mind. Then she peered at Tomoyo, with her gorgeous, unnaturally colored tresses that swept past her hips, twinkling eyes the deep purple of amethysts, slight body, and completely at-ease expression. No matter how hard Sakura tried to compare them, she could find no resemblance between the two whatsoever.

"You're siblings? As in, brother and sister?" she blurted, utterly skeptical.

Tomoyo had prepared herself for this outburst. "Syaoran is my half-brother, actually. His father divorced his mother and married mine a year before I was born. Unfortunately—" She paused, a sad smile on her face. "Unfortunately, they both passed away when I was an infant. I can remember their faces only faintly now, if I don't look at their photos, so I'm not quite so distraught over it. I do sometimes wish that they were still alive, but I'm happy with my life at the moment." She seemed to have finished speaking. She lowered herself onto the wooden chair Sakura had pulled beside Eriol.

Sakura felt a small pang of something deep within her. It was indistinct, but it was there nonetheless. She pressed her hand to the area above her heart, right where the strange sensation was coming from, to rid herself of it. It stayed. "Why do you live here, then?" she inquired to distract herself from the odd feeling.

"Syaoran's mother adopted me," answered Tomoyo, watching Eriol's chest rise and fall evenly. "She gave me a place to stay, fed me, raised me as one of her own. I've lived here for fourteen years, so she is the closest thing I've had to a mother that I can remember. It's the similar case with Syaoran. I think of him as my real brother, not just a half brother. Is it the same with you and...?" She trailed off here and looked at Sakura, expecting something.

Sakura was lost. "Me and who?"

Tomoyo brought her hand to Eriol's forehead once more, pushing back the lock of hair that refused to cooperate. "Him. Your brother. What is his name?"

"He's not—" Sakura stopped herself just in time. "I mean, his name is Eriol."

_**Nice save, genius**__,_ mocked her inner voice. She bit her lower lip hard to suppress the retort she knew she would have yelled out loud.

"Eriol," Tomoyo repeated thoughtfully. "Such a nice name. It sounds a little foreign, doesn't it?"

"He's partly English," said Sakura. _This is true_, she reflected, relieved that she didn't have to generate yet another lie.

"Ah. Does that mean you are too, Sakura-chan?"

_So much for not lying_. "Yeah, same as, er, Onii-chan," she added, then cringed inwardly. It felt bizarre to call Eriol that. She reached out and grabbed the glass of water beside the vase of peonies, bringing it to her lips to wash down the fib. Where had her ability to lie smoothly gone?

Tomoyo leaned forward in her seat, propping her elbows on her knees to rest her face in her hands. "Can you say something for me in English? I've been studying a bit in school and I wonder if I can understand any yet."

Sakura's hand flew to her throat the moment she started choking on the water. Before anything could leak out, she clamped her mouth closed and swallowed. Almost straight away she fell into a fit of harsh coughing. "S-sorry," she gasped. "I drank a little too much." It was a lame excuse, but her mind didn't seem to be functioning properly that day. "Er, what was the question?"

"Can you say something in English?"

Sakura fought the panic, forced it back into her stomach. Eriol had made the attempt to teach her parts of the language, but her tongue wasn't capable of forming the correct syllables, the results sounding horribly butchered. She would have to tell Tomoyo the truth and still make it seem like she and Eriol were truly related. "Well, to be honest, I don't know English. Eriol is fluent in it because he was born in England, but I was born here. When he wakes, you can ask him." She discreetly held her breath, awaiting Tomoyo's response.

Tomoyo kept her glittering eyes glued to Sakura a little longer than necessary. It was disconcerting. Sakura squirmed under the girl's searching gaze, but thankfully she turned away a moment after. Her scrutiny was focused on Eriol instead. "What happened to your brother?" she asked in a softer tone.

"An accident," Sakura said immediately. Tomoyo seemed to accept this, but then Sakura thought about what she told Yamazaki. The trouble with lying was that she had to be certain that her stories and excuses matched previous ones, which would unavoidably lead to a chain of more lies. "I don't know, actually," she said, deciding to stay vague. "He just... collapsed as we were walking home."

"Oh." Tomoyo calmed, relaxing into the chair, yet still managing to look poised. A second later, she bolted up. Concern darkened her eyes. "Was it because of me? Did I bind the bandages too tightly?" she asked urgently, leaning forward again. She appeared to genuinely care about Eriol's well-being, judging by the guilty look she wore.

Sakura found herself wanting to reassure the girl. "It wasn't your fault. He was probably weak from the loss of so much blood. In fact," she said, forcing a shadow of a smile upon her face, "if you hadn't come along, he would have bled to death. I should thank you aga—"

Someone at the doorway interrupted her. It was Wei.

"Tomoyo-sama, there has—" He halted upon seeing Sakura. "Oh—I apologize," he said. "Am I intruding?"

Tomoyo rose from the chair gracefully, like a queen. "Not at all, Wei-san. Sakura-chan and I were just talking. Do you need something?"

Wei bowed respectfully to Sakura, which she thought was completely redundant. "I have been notified by Madoka-san that Kero-chan has returned, and he is with a friend."

Sakura lifted an eyebrow. _What sort of name is Kero?_

But at the mention of the name, Tomoyo perked up and all traces of her previous serenity dissipated. She clapped her hands together in childlike delight. "Oh, that's wonderful! That's the last time I let Kero-chan run around without his leash after feeding him that new sugar-loaded dog food." She turned to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, do excuse me. My puppy's come back!" She bent down and snatched her messenger bag with one fluid movement. Before Sakura could blink, she dashed out of the room. Wei followed, leaving Sakura alone with her unconscious traveling companion.

Taking Tomoyo's place in the wooden chair, she waited for the girl to return. Bowing her head slightly, Sakura sent two words after Tomoyo. They were whispered.

"Thank you."

She rubbed her eyes, struck with a sudden wave of fatigue. _Just a quick nap, only until Tomoyo comes back, _she reasoned with herself. She rested her head on the bed, nestling against Eriol's side. Sleep took over.

* * *

Sakura hadn't realized how exhausted she was until a series of shrill barks had weaved its way into her dream of swimming in a pool of chilled sake, causing her to swallow a mouthful and drown. She woke and found herself sprawled out on the floor with a heavy object on her stomach. She blinked at it numerous times before finally placing a name upon it. While trying to sit up, she sputtered, "Suppi-chan! What—why—how did you—"

Just then, a flash of something small and yellow charged into the room and attacked Suppi, throwing him off Sakura. As she watched on, the two forms brawled around a bit on the ground before Suppi growled loudly and knocked the yellow thing away with his paw. Sakura saw that it was a teeny little puppy. It resembled Suppi when she first met him, the only difference being its golden fur. It certainly was a bundle of energy, getting reared up to pounce again. It sprang up, and Sakura reached out and grabbed it in midair, bringing it to her. The puppy became limp and stared at her.

"Hello," she said to it.

It stared a while longer, then barked happily in her face.

Tomoyo appeared at the door then with a leash, seeming breathless and harassed. Once she caught sight of the puppy in Sakura's hands, she sighed in relief. "I see you've met Kero-chan," she said, moving into the room, wisely pulling the door shut behind her. She kneeled and scooped the bouncy pup into her arms. Kero barked several more times and licked her cheek. She laughed elatedly—a musical sound.

Awkwardly, Sakura shifted until she was on her knees and was facing Tomoyo. "Is he yours?" she asked.

Tomoyo gave a nod. "One of the older dogs gave birth to him three weeks ago. He was a premature pup, so I had to pay him extra attention for a while. I think I'm starting to regret doing so because Kero-chan is just so lively all the time that it's hard to keep track of him!"

Kero was growing fidgety in her arms, so he was released. Right away, he made a beeline for Suppi and launched himself on the elder canine, who looked tremendously annoyed to be in the same room as the pup.

"Well... 'lively' is one word to describe him," said Sakura as she observed Kero crawl on Suppi, only to be shrugged off, tumbling several feet away. She could think of a few other words, like _hyperactive_ or _high_ or _on crack_.

Before Kero could further irk Suppi and get himself killed, Tomoyo intervened and lifted him off the floor. She fastened the leash to his collar, securing the opposite end to the knob of the door. Kero flailed around, seeking freedom, but with no avail. Resigning, he curled up into a tiny ball and went to sleep.

"I don't know whose dog this is," she said, gesturing at Suppi, "but Sumi-chan told me that he was begging to be let in, whether to escape from Kero-chan or the storm, I'm not sure. But I think I'll take him in if I can't find—"

"He's mine," Sakura broke in. At Suppi's low growl, she rolled her eyes and corrected herself. "Okay, Eriol's. But _I_ saved him from a cruel and untimely death," she added loudly, hoping to earn the dog's gratitude. Suppi stood, and for a moment Sakura thought that the hostile haze he had towards her floating around his head had evaporated, but he only hopped on Eriol's bed and snuggled against his master's side.

"Suppi-chan is not a nice dog," said Sakura.

"Really? He seems like such a sweetie."

Sakura turned to see Tomoyo making her way over to Suppi. She reached out a hand, about to pet him.

"Don't touch him. He's vicious!" Sakura warned, starting to stand. Tomoyo's fingers touched Suppi's head, and he took immediate action. Quicker than Sakura could see, he attacked.

"Suppi-chan—_NO!_ Don't kill her!" she cried. Covering her eyes with her hands, she braced herself for the screams.

They came, but they were different than what she'd been anticipating. These weren't screams of someone being ripped apart. They were cries of—utter delight?

Sakura dared to peek through her fingers, and her mouth opened in incredulity. Tomoyo had fallen backwards onto the bed, her head an inch away from Eriol's waist. Suppi stood over her, licking her face, his tail avidly wagging. Still giggling, she pulled him off her.

"Oh, he's so friendly!" she exclaimed. "Not vicious at all!"

Sakura crossed her arms. "Pfft. To everyone but me," she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at the dog. "Here—observe." With Tomoyo watching, she approached Suppi with the caution one would have advancing toward a pipe bomb, and held out a finger. Suppi eyed it suspiciously as Sakura waved it back and forth above his head, a sausage suspended on a string.

After a while, Tomoyo pointed out, "He's not doing anything."

Sakura shut her eyes in frustration. "He's probably just waiting for me to let my guard—" She yelped and abruptly snatched her hand back as Suppi snapped his jaws at her. Her heart pounded from the unexpected fright; she'd been a hair's width away from having her finger chewed off.

Tomoyo wrapped her arms around Suppi's neck securely, restraining him from jumping at Sakura. "Hmm. I see," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right. He does hate you."

"Thanks."

"Mhmm."

Sakura took a few paces back, and then sat on the ground, cross-legged. From this safe distance, she took to glaring at Suppi for the next minute. The glare was returned.

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, deciding to put an end to the staring contest.

"Yes?"

"Your hand is bleeding."

That startled her. "Huh?" Looking down, she saw that Tomoyo was right. On the back of her right hand, there was a large scrape. The skin there had peeled away and blood was welling up. The injured area stung.

"Your hand struck the corner of the table when you pulled it away from Suppi-chan," explained Tomoyo. "I recommend you wash it before it gets an infection. On second thought, I'll have someone draw you a bath. Please don't take offence, but you seem a little dirty. Did you trip in the rain?"

Sakura nodded. _That's not the only reason, _she thought. "Landed in the mud," she replied, stretching the truth, if only a little. "It would be nice to take a real bath for once," she said, without thinking.

Tomoyo tilted her head. "Pardon?'

"Nothing," Sakura was quick to say. "We only have a shower cubicle at home, no tub. Um, where's the bathroom?"

"There's one on each floor. I recommend you use the first floor bathroom because I left my first aid kit in there. Do you know how to treat a wound, or would you like me to lend a hand?"

"I can do it myself."

"Great." Tomoyo stood, setting Suppi aside. She strode over to where Kero was napping. Carefully, to avoid disturbing the puppy, she opened the door slowly. "Ooh, here's someone," she said, spotting a figure walking by. "Takuna-chan!" she called into the hall.

The maid entered the room. "Yes, Tomoyo-sama?" she said.

"Could you prepare a bath for my friend, please? On the first floor, if it's vacant."

She gave a bow. "As you wish, Tomoyo-sama."

"Thank you. Sakura-chan, if you follow her, she'll lead you to the bathroom. Don't worry," added Tomoyo with a smile, sensing Sakura's reluctance, "I'll see what's wrong with Hiiragizawa-kun. Take some time to relax, okay?"

"Well... okay," said Sakura. She went with the maid, taking one last peek at Eriol over her shoulder before she shut the door.

* * *

Takuna stepped aside. "Your bath is ready, Miss," she said to Sakura.

"Thanks." Sakura didn't move, and neither did the maid. She waited for Takuna to leave so she could undress in solitude. Takuna didn't budge, only stood there with her hands folded in front of her, watching Sakura.

"Aren't you going to leave?" asked Sakura, growing uncomfortable.

The maid seemed puzzled. "Don't you need help?"

"Well—no. I'm quite capable of bathing by myself." _Does Tomoyo have to live with this every day? _she wondered.

"Should I leave, then, Miss?"

"Um, sure."

Takuna bowed (_Is everyone in this place always so formal? _thought Sakura) and Sakura listened to her shoes _click-clack_ out of the room. She was left in peace at last.

She quickly shed her clothes, but she was forced to slow down when her rapid movements caused her right hand to throb painfully. She had not realized how forcefully she slammed it into the table. Her clothes formed a small pile, which she pushed away to keep it from getting splashed with water. First dipping her foot into the water to test its warmth, she found it comfortable and slid in.

The warm water was heavenly. Sakura allowed it to envelop her body as she sank into the depths of the bubbles.

She heard someone enter the room. She impulsively ducked down into the water, but she saw that it was only Takuna. She relaxed, turning back to the bath, and then reached for the shampoo.

* * *

Syaoran was outraged. "You told my sister which room that heathen and... and... _thief_ are in?" he yelled at his best friend.

"Yep," said Yamazaki cheerfully, enraging Syaoran even more. He took a bite out of the sandwich he had been eating before his best friend stomped into the dining room.

"After I specifically told you not to!"

Yamazaki shrugged. He swallowed. "I don't see what the harm is. The guy needed a doctor, and Daidouji-san is conveniently trained to help sick people."

"You do realize that, in order to help him, Tomoyo would have to _touch_ him."

"So?"

"Who knows what he might try!"

Yamazaki set his sandwich down. Putting on a reasonable tone, he said, "Syaoran. The guy is unconscious. Even if he wanted to try something, he can't. And Hiiragizawa-san is not a thief. She seems like a very nice girl."

"You think sharks are nice, too."

"They _are_, if you just give them a _chance_—"

Syaoran pushed his chair back, standing up. "Hang on. Are you saying that if the guy was awake, he _would _try something?"

"No, no, not at all. I shouldn't have put it that way. What I meant was—ah, hang on, I have a call," Yamazaki said, taking his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. By the time he pressed it to his ear, Syaoran was already headed to the second floor.

"Oh—Chiharu-chan..." he heard Yamazaki say brightly.

Syaoran barged into Tomoyo's room without knocking. Tomoyo looked up from her bed, her sewing items strewn around her.

"Hello. How was the business meeting?" she calmly inquired.

"What did he try?" demanded Syaoran.

She resumed her sewing. "I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."

"You're toying with me again. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

"But I really don't," she insisted, hiding her smile behind the dress she was tailoring.

"That guy. Third floor. Guestroom," he seethed.

"Ah. Him. Don't worry, I took care of him," said Tomoyo mysteriously.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, far too innocently.

"Did you touch him?"

"Oh, Syaoran. Of course I touched him. I had to in order to make my diagnosis." She noted with amusement that his eyes were glinting with a murderous intent. As much as she'd love to play with his mind a little longer, she knew she should stop. "I only touched his face. To put the thermometer in his mouth," she said. She found it unwise to tell him that she had reached under Eriol's shirt to feel for his pulse.

Or that she had traced the strange scar she found on his stomach, traced it down, down, until she realized with a start that her hand had somehow traveled beyond the waistband of his boxers.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "That's all?" He had the suspicion that she was lying.

"That's all."

"Fine. But you are not to step foot within ten meters of that room."

Tomoyo nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. "I won't. Promise." Beneath the dress, her fingers were crossed.

"Good." He started to leave.

"Onii-chan?" she said in her sweetest voice.

"What?" he snarled, turning. He learned from experience that whenever she used that tone, he wasn't going to like what would come out of her mouth next.

"Could you please do me a favor?"

"I have forms to fill out."

"In your room."

"Yes." He was impatient.

"First floor."

"You know where my room is, Tomoyo."

"Can you deliver something on the way there? It won't take long."

"Deliver what?"

"Well..."

* * *

Wrapped in only a towel, Sakura cursed loudly, the word ricocheting off the walls. She stood there stupidly, shivering. Water dripped off the ends of her hair. She was clean, yes, but there was one problem. Her clothes had vanished.

It was probably that maid Takuna who had taken them, most likely on Tomoyo's request. The question was: why? She could have at least left her underwear. Or even her cap.

Sakura could only think of one thing to do. She had to somehow sneak out of the bathroom and reach her backpack. That is, without being seen. The first thing she did was treat the scrape on the back of her right hand with the items in Tomoyo's first aid kit, because it bothered her. Making sure that her towel covered as much skin as a towel possibly could, she turned the doorknob of the door leading out of the room. Painfully slowly, she pushed it open.

Waiting three feet before her was the tall, intimidating figure of Li Syaoran.

She reacted the very same way she did when she first met him—by squealing like a pig and falling backward. Luckily, her foot kicked the door closed just before the towel slipped from her hand.

_This can't get any more embarrassing, _she groaned in her mind as she lay on the cold marble floor. She sat up gingerly, rubbing her head, and rewrapped the towel around her body. Part of her favored lingering in the bathroom until Li grew bored from waiting and left. The other part was curious as to what it was Li wanted. Perhaps he had cut himself and was bleeding freely, and he only needed to reach the first aid kit. Maybe waiting was the better choice. That way, he'd bleed to death and she would be rid of him.

But her inquisitive side dominated, yearning to see what the man's business was. Sakura took a deep yet shaky breath, and then opened the door a crack.

"What is it?" she growled, holding the towel together securely.

Li held out something in his hands. Sakura saw that he was looking her in the eyes and not anywhere below her face.

_Not that he'd be interested, _she thought bitterly, surprising herself. Again, she was unable to hold his gaze.

"Clothes. From Tomoyo," he said indifferently.

Sakura noticed that a pair of heels rested on top of the pile, and under that, quite visibly, was a brassiere. Mortified, she shot out her hand and grabbed the clothes, eternally grateful that the bra hadn't slipped out of her grasp. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, her cheeks flushed a deep pink. She heard Li walk away as soon as the door was closed.

As she waited for her face to cool, though she still wasn't sure of the reason to her frequent blushing, she put the clothes on. Tomoyo had selected a simple but pretty long-sleeved dress. No ruffles, lace, or a hemline that stopped mid-thigh. Just a plain, green dress with a normal, knee-high hemline. Despite the simplicity, it seemed classy, especially after she slipped on the black heels and stockings. Once she blow-dried and forced a brush through her tangled hair, Sakura stared at her reflection. She barely recognized the clean girl in the sophisticated attire in the mirror. She felt like she was in high school again, preparing to go to a dance.

The dress was a size or two too big, and the undergarments didn't fit quite right. Her feet felt cramped inside the heels, which were too high. This outfit didn't suit her at all, but she was still glad that she had something to wear, however ill-fitting. Still, she yearned for her cap, or anything to cover her hair. Without it she felt exposed, as if her identity were floating above her head. Her face looked mostly unchanged, though a little gaunt—her eyes were the same green, skin still pale despite her time spent outside.

She moved away from the mirror. Now was no time to focus on glamour. She was anxious to check on Eriol's condition, wondering if Tomoyo had learned what was wrong with him. She left the bathroom, teetering a little on her heels.

As she walked past the dining room someone called out to her. "Hiiragizawa-san? Could you come here a moment?"

Sakura recognized Yamazaki's voice, but something was off about it. It sounded... dull. She moved into the room.

Was that Yamazaki? He was sitting at the dinner table, but his head was in his arms and he was slouching, a big contrast to his cheerful demeanor earlier.

When Sakura entered, he looked at her. He looked horrible, almost dead. It seemed like he had been crying before he asked her to come in.

"My girlfriend would like to speak with you," he said, his voice flat. He gestured into the lounge, at a girl seated on one of the couches. She was hugging a pillow to her chest tightly, staring at the rug below her feet. Yamazaki dropped his head back into his arms.

At the introduction, the girl spoke. She kept her head bowed, her braids falling into her face. "Hiiragizawa-san. I do believe we've met before," she said, very softly. She finally raised her head, and Sakura looked straight into the emotional eyes of someone who had experienced much sorrow. The sorrow of a girl whose engagement to the man she loved had been forcefully cancelled.

* * *

**A/N**: My author's note is going to be a little shorter today. Yes, big surprise. I'm just really tired right now. Don't get me wrong. I love writing this fic, but I mean that it's late and I haven't done any homework during spring break. I used all my time to finish this chapter. Because I love my readers, though I'm sure that I lost many of them.

The worst term of the school year has passed; expect more frequent updates from me. I actually know what to put in my next chapter.

There's really nothing else to say. I'll return tomorrow to fix any mistakes I made in the chapter. So, please leave a review with any questions you have because, and I'm telling the truth, I might give away some more info about the plot if you ask questions. One faithful reviewer (forgive me for being too tired to find your name) mentioned in her review about the whereabouts of Suppi, whom I'd completely forgotten about. Reviewing not only makes me _very_ happy, but it can benefit you, also. I do reply to every single one of my reviews, no matter how short. Thank you to my readers and (hopefully) reviewers.

Goodnight. :)

Until next time,

- Mimi

**EDIT**: So, I know that this chapter strongly hints a SakuraxEriol pairing, and maybe even SyaoranxTomoyo. I can't assure you anything, but I will tell you that Sakura cares for Eriol like he's a best friend, and Syaoran is being a knucklehead older brother. I hope you don't mind that I made Syaoran and Tomoyo half-siblings. That was my wacky explanation for Tomoyo's mysterious father. In the anime, Tomoyo does seem to play the part of a meddling younger sister to Syaoran. And for all you Eriol fans, he won't be unconscious forever. There will be an explanation for his condition later.

(And Choco, I will continue to make shoutouts to you to make sure you haven't drowned in schoolwork. :D)


	8. Rebellion

**A/N**: The better Author's Note is at the end. And please read it, it's actually important this time, not just full of my ramblings.

Introduced a side plot. And a thousand words in Syaoran's POV. Try to not explode from information overload. I almost did, and I'm the writer. Longest chapter yet. Did I really hit the ten thousand mark?

**Disclaimer**: Cardcaptor Sakura and Co. belong to Clamp. The plot be mine.

_**

* * *

F o r g e t - M e – N o t**_

_**B y : E n t r a n c i a**_

_Chapter Eight: Rebellion  


* * *

_

Yamazaki's girlfriend patted the couch cushion beside her. "Please sit," she said.

Sakura didn't move for a moment, because the girl had spoken in a voice so low it was nearly inaudible. But when the words sunk in she complied without another thought, feeling overwhelmed to see yet another familiar face. All too conscious that the girl was watching her every wobbly, concentrated step, Sakura tried to make it seem like this wasn't her first time in nearly two years wearing heels. She made her way over to the couch, sat down, and waited — but the other girl said nothing more.

Sakura squirmed in the uncomfortable stillness. The girl sat motionlessly, head bowed, her red hair coming out of her braids. In the dining area, Yamazaki sat slumped in his chair. The room had the air of a funeral: the gloom was so thick.

"So..." Sakura began uneasily.

The girl looked up, but not at Sakura. Not yet. Her gaze searched the room, finally settling on her boyfriend. "How much did you hear?" she whispered.

"Hear...?" Sakura grimaced at the volume she was speaking at. Compared to the softness of the girl's voice, she was practically screaming. "I don't know what you're referring to," she said, a little quieter.

"My dad," was the girl's abrupt reply, her words harsh.

It almost seemed physically painful for the girl to spit out those two words, and Sakura cursed herself for not knowing what the girl had meant. "Enough," she responded. "I heard enough."

The girl bit her lip. "I see," she murmured. "So you know my dilemma." And then she chose that moment to look at Sakura.

The first thing Sakura noticed was how young her face looked. In her eyes Sakura saw that she was older than the girl, by at least a year or two. The girl still had a hint of that innocence — though it was barely there, overpowered by the misery — that Sakura had been forced to surrender in order to survive on the streets. She thought back to the lady of this mansion and her youthful, radiant face, and concluded that Tomoyo was about the same age as the girl. Perhaps the two were friends, or at least attended the same school.

"What dilemma—? Oh. Right." Her inner voice urged her at that moment to console the dejected girl, but she could only utter an uncertain, "I'm sorry."

The girl's mouth was trying to form a reassuring smile, but she couldn't quite manage it. "It's okay," she said. Her voice, though strained, was beginning to acquire some strength. "I know my dad is a bastard. He's always been one."

That sparked a new topic in Sakura's mind, one she knew she should avoid. But she had to ask. "Does he... um..." She made small twitchy motions with her hands, hesitating. "Does he — does he hit you often?"

The girl sensed Sakura's unease. She tried a little harder to smile, this time somewhat succeeding. "Not very often. Only when he is angry, usually. But I'm safe here, though. It's the only place he approves of."

Sakura blinked, thought she misheard the girl. "He... knows you're here," she said, seeking clarification.

"Right. He drove me here and told me that it'll do me some good."

"Do you some good?"

The girl gave that smile-that-looked-more-like-a-wince again. "It's a long and complicated story that traces back to when I was a baby."

"The arranged marriage?"

"Yeah, but it's a forced marriage, not an arranged one, despite what my dad says. I really don't want to go into it." Then she bit her lower lip, which started trembling, her eyes looking threateningly moist.

Sakura lowered her head, suddenly wanting to look at anything but the girl. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry for reminding you." She was being sincere, but there was also a cold edge to her words. She couldn't stand to see people crying. Tears were a sign of weakness, and she had developed a dislike for the weak, particularly those who were well off. There was no excuse for people to be pathetic and frail when they possessed everything they needed to survive. But still, she couldn't help wanting to pat the troubled girl on the back, or perhaps give her a hug and tell her that all will be well...

She shook aside the feeling, succumbing to what her hardened heart instructed her to do. Sympathy was another weakness. So was compassion. She had already allowed herself to care for Eriol, and that somehow landed her in an arrogant rich man and his half-sister's much-better-than-average home.

Sometimes she questioned that decision she made so long ago — choosing to live for her family.

"Hey." The girl was peering into Sakura's face. "Are you all right?" Mild concern lined her words.

Sakura jumped at the voice, and then pressed herself further into the sofa when she saw how close she and the girl were. "I'm fine," she replied, recovering quickly. "Why do you ask?"

The girl retreated to her side of the sofa. "I'm sorry. You just looked out of it for a while. Your face kind of went blank and you were looking at the wall, like this." She put on a dazed expression like she had been hit in the head and stared at something only she could see. She looked so silly that Sakura nearly smiled, but caught herself in time. Now was no time to grow too friendly with someone she barely knew.

The girl seemed to detect some sort of internal struggle taking place inside Sakura. Lightly touching the older girl's shoulder, she asked, "Are you really sure you're oka—"

"I said I'm _fine_," Sakura snapped, reflexively pulling away from the girl's touch. She instantly regretted her outburst when she saw how the girl retracted as far from Sakura as the sofa allowed, her eyes enlarged with terror.

Inwardly rolling her eyes at the girl's vulnerability, Sakura tried to soothe her. "Listen, I'm sorry for yelling like that. I guess I'm still worried about my friend. He's sick and I don't know what's wrong with him." She hoped that was sufficient to mend the damage she had done.

The girl didn't look as scared now, but she did stay where she was seated. She didn't reply for a long while, and when she did her voice was small. "Sorry for overreacting," she said, starting to fiddle nervously with her fingers. "It's just... you reminded me of my... my dad. You know, when he's angry. I thought — well, I thought you were about to hit me."

"You thought I'd _hit_ you?" exclaimed Sakura incredulously, then toned it down when the girl cringed. "I would never hit anyone, I swear," she said, wide-eyed. She didn't know why she was being so defensive, but she really didn't want the girl to think she was some sort of explosive, ready to detonate at any moment.

Now it was the girl's turn to reassure. "I didn't mean it that way. Really. It was just an impulsive thought. Just me being stupid." She sighed and shut her eyes. "Like always."

Sakura was still for a while, absorbing these words. _Like always._ "Did your father tell you that?" she asked.

Another soft sigh came from the other side of the sofa. "Yeah. He did."

"I see." _What a bastard, _thought Sakura.

"And he's right."

"Huh?"

Her delicate face hardened when she spoke. "It was stupid of me to fall in love with Takashi, when I knew from the start that a happily-ever-after wasn't possible," the girl mumbled, her eyes still closed. "But that's all going to change."

Sakura cocked her head at this, sitting up straight. The last thing the girl said was barely comprehensible, a ghost of a whisper. She might have even imagined it. Choosing to wave it away as nothing, she inquired, "Who's Takashi?" Wasn't Yamazaki her boyfriend?

The girl opened her eyes. "Takashi: that idiot over there," she explained. Her expression softened considerably as she pointed to Yamazaki's limp form in the room adjacent.

That was right. Takashi was Yamazaki's first name. Sakura had forgotten, probably because her brain had automatically discarded the name when the boy introduced himself, knowing she would never need to use it.

Acting on a whim, and before she could lose her nerve, Sakura said, "What's your name?"

The girl looked as if she had been expecting this inquiry. "Mihara Chiharu. Soon to be Yamazaki Chiharu," she replied, brightening a bit at her own optimistic words.

Sakura could name one thing wrong with that sentence. "But... um..." she started, then paused, not sure if she should go on. She was sure the next thing to come out of her mouth would crush the bit of glee Mihara had just acquired.

"But what?"

"Well, your father — and the engagement. Didn't he..." Sakura could not bring herself to finish. What was happening to her? One moment she was annoyed at Mihara's obvious weakness, and the next she couldn't bear to make the girl any unhappier.

It had to be the house. An excessive amount of time indoors, the contact with people her own age, the dramatic situations that were arising, even wearing the clothes Tomoyo provided her — they were all factors contributing to Sakura's mixed feelings, rekindling the empathy within her that she had worked so hard to rid from her mind. If she involved herself in any other matters concerning people, she would no longer be able to return to the streets. She needed to get out of this place, out of this domestic environment before it further affected her thinking.

But Mihara was unfazed, not even batting an eyelash. "You're absolutely right," she confirmed. "He did cancel the engagement. He even took away Takashi's ring and made me wear this thing instead." She held out her hand, revealing the very expensive looking diamond ring in the place of the dull gold one before.

"But... why?" posed Sakura, eyeing the sparking gem. It was much prettier than the one Yamazaki had given her.

"Long story short, because I have been engaged to another man since I was a baby," she answered matter-of-factly. "This is the ring he was forced to buy me."

"Well, it looks nice?" offered Sakura awkwardly.

"Thanks. But I don't like it," Mihara said flatly, looking at the ring as though it carried all the world's plagues.

"Then why wear it?"

"Obviously, I can't afford to lose it." She gave a dry laugh. "If I do, I won't live to see the day Takashi and I get married."

"I thought your father—"

Mihara sprang to her feet and whirled around fiercely to face Sakura. "That man will _not_ interfere with my wedding," she declared with such passion that Sakura let out a surprised squeak. She stared at the girl, at her severe determination, and she knew that whatever it was going on between the couple, it was certainly not fake teenage love. It was something far beyond that.

"Say it," Mihara demanded suddenly, slamming her hands down on either sides of Sakura.

"Huh?"

"Say that my dad will not come between Takashi and me."

"O... kay..." said Sakura slowly, more than a little puzzled. "Your father will not come between you and Yamazaki."

Mihara backed off after hearing this, pleased. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

"Why?" said Sakura, trying to compile herself after being caught off guard again.

"It's not so easy to defy my dad," she admitted. "When he's made up his mind about something, it's almost impossible to get him to change his decision. Especially in this case, when it concerns money."

"You mean the cost of—"

Mihara shook her head no. "We have all that financial stuff covered. By money I meant afterward." At Sakura's puzzled look, she explained, "The future. He doesn't like the man. Takashi isn't from a wealthy family. That's partly why I'm not allowed to marry him. Although"—she took on a harsher tone—"he told me that the reason why is that Takashi won't be able to support me later on in life. Hah. Like he cares about me at all. The _real_ reason I can't see Takashi is that my father will get none of his money after we're together. His greed controls his life, and mine too, apparently. 'You can't survive on love alone,' he said. Damned jerk." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her persona shifting once more. Before, she had looked like an easily frightened girl. Now, after her heated tirade against her father and with her arms folded across her chest, she seemed much tougher — and very, very pissed.

Sakura lifted her eyebrows, at both Mihara's change of character and her tale. Perhaps she had judged her too soon. Mihara was feisty as hell. And the girl's father had seemed heartless and cruel when she and Eriol wandered into their neighborhood, but to marry off his own daughter to an older man for his wealth, and when she was already head over heels for another... Sakura could only imagine how tormenting that must be. She struggled to find the right thing to say, but "How horrible" was the only thing she could think of. So she said so.

"Yeah. Horrible," echoed Mihara. She let her arms fall limp to her sides and plopped down alongside Sakura. Her anger was brief, fading when she sat. "But, you know," she said, "that's not going to matter once we're together."

Sakura couldn't hold it in any longer. The question burst out of her: "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Hmm? What have I been saying?" asked Mihara.

"You seem to be so sure that you and Yamazaki are going to end up as a couple. Married." Mihara nodded, and Sakura went on. "But you also said that your father is really firm with his decision." There was another nod. "What I want to know is — how? How are you going to convince him to let you marry Yamazaki?" she finished.

"Oh, that." Mihara laughed a little. "I think I should have started out this whole conversation by telling you about that. I wouldn't have wasted so much your time otherwise. I'll waste more of your time if I tell you everything, so to put it short, I have a plan." She wore a smug look, as if the lone thought of crossing her father delighted her.

"A plan," said Sakura, doubtful. She knew all about plans and how they don't always end well. That fire that destroyed everything and everyone she held dear, for example.

"Yes." Mihara took a breath. "And I would very much appreciate it if you help me carry it out."

Sakura leaped up, staring at her with astonishment. "M-me?" she asked, pointing at herself.

"That's what I said."

"Why me? Do you even know who I am?"

"No, should I?"

"No," Sakura answered hurriedly. She remembered her status as a runaway, that the police were searching for her — possibly even as she spoke. "I meant that we've only just met. Wouldn't it be wiser to ask for the help of someone you're more familiar with, who knows the situation better than I do?"

Mihara watched Sakura solemnly. "You are the only one who knows of this. You're the only one who can help me," she said, her voice as solemn as her expression. "So, will you?"

Sakura backed off some more. "I don't — I'm not—" she said, her voice breaking. Panic stirred in her stomach, and the desire to leave the place intensified. She was stuck between two choices.

_Say no. That's all it would take. Just say no, _her brain was telling her. _Don't get involved any more than you need to. This is her problem, not yours. You don't have to deal with all this. If you walk away, you'd be free. _

That was a crucial rule Sakura had devised and vowed to follow: Do what was needed to survive, and nothing more. Leave people to care for themselves, as she had to. This was the easy way out.

But her heart — her real heart_, _hidden beneath that shell — was in the way, coercing her to do the opposite. _You know you are her only hope. She loves this boy. Do you really want to deprive her of this love? She is young; she deserves to live her life the way she wants to. Think of what your family would want you to do. _

It just had to bring up her family. Her weak point.

She had to choose. Go with her brain, which knew what was smart, or her heart, the master of all things moral?

"What can I possibly do?" she said at last, turning so her back was to the couch. "I'm not even sure how long I'll be staying here."

"We can schedule a time and new meeting place. I can easily sneak out if I have to. I don't want to beg, but it would mean so much to us if you help. I don't want to push you, either. It's your decision. Takashi and I can always try to do this ourselves."

Sakura screwed her eyes shut and took a steadying breath. She took another, after the first one failed. Then she sent a prayer to Kami before turning her body around, saying a quiet, "Okay."

Mihara had gone back to examining the floor, but her head snapped up when Sakura responded. "Okay? Okay you'll help us?"

"Yeah. I'll help. _But," _she said, remembering Eriol, "I need to do something for myself first. Then I'll help you with your plan. Sound good?"

Nodding so viciously that it was a wonder her head didn't fall off, Mihara gushed, "That's perfectly fine with me. Oh, I am so glad you said yes. I promise, I will repay you for this. I don't know how, but I will. Thank you so, so, so much." Then she flung her arms around Sakura's neck in a surprise, lung-crushing hug. The older girl didn't return it — nor could she breathe — but she didn't have the opportunity. Mihara pulled away, the intimate contact ending as soon as it began. Her eyes were vibrant with happy tears, and her face glowed with a newfound hope. She was positively radiant. Transformed.

"So, let me hear about this plan of yours," Sakura said, smiling a bit.

Mihara froze, and then grinned sheepishly. "Um, about that... I didn't exactly think it through yet. I'm still... you could say I'm still working on it."

"You mean you didn't finish."

"Well... no," she confessed. Sakura must have then made some sort of face because Mihara became alarmed and said very quickly, "But I'm positive it will work! I only came up with it today. I just need to work out a few kinks."

Sakura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What sort of kinks?"

Mihara shrugged. "Nothing major. I want to make sure it's a foolproof plan, so I'm thinking up all the possible scenarios where I might get caught."

"Caught?" repeated Sakura, with a jolt. "Is what you're doing_ legal_?"

"I..." Her brow crinkled, looking deep in thought. "I'm not sure. But will you go along with it anyway?"

"I — I guess I will. Why not, I have nothing to lose. But I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find a way to contact you after I leave."

"Will you be here long?"

Sakura didn't reply right away. "I might. I'm not sure. We'll work this all out somehow. For now, go tell your boyfriend the good news." She turned the girl in the general direction of Yamazaki.

"I will. Thank you for everything!" Mihara gave her another brief hug, which Sakura accepted this time, and then she left to console her depressed fiancé.

The instant she was out of earshot, Sakura groaned and let herself fall backward onto the couch.

"What did I just agree to?" she moaned into a pillow. Her temples throbbed.

_Eriol, you idiot, _she thought. _You'd better wake up soon so I can get out of here. I don't like the vibes I'm getting about this place._

Just then, Mihara popped her head back into the room, with a request. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Call me Chiharu, okay?"

Sakura nodded once, opening her eyes halfway. "The same goes for me," she said in reply.

There was a pause, and Sakura wondered what else Chiharu wanted. "What is it?"

"You never told me your name."

"Sorry. It's Sakura."

"Sakura. Pretty name," she commented. "Well then, I'll be looking forward to working with you, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Tomoyo was trying to take off the bandages around Eriol's arm when Sakura just about stumbled into the room in her heels. The owner of that arm lay motionless.

"Hello," said Tomoyo, greeting Sakura with a warm smile. "How was your bath?"

She shrugged. "Good. How's Eriol?"

Her smile wavered. She cast Eriol a glance. "I don't know what's wrong with him, to tell you the truth. His temperature is normal"—she felt his forehead—"his breathing's regular"—her hand moved to his cheek—"and his heartbeat is fine." Her hand came to rest over his heart, where it stayed. "He seems to have only passed out."

"Oh." Sakura sighed, relieved. "I'm glad." She knew she should be worried because she didn't know why he passed out, but it was far less stressful to pretend he was okay.

"Anyway, thanks for the clothes. I love the dress," she added, which was somewhat a lie. She did love the dress; it was gorgeous. She just didn't like _wearing_ it. And she still wished she had her cap. Still felt exposed.

Tomoyo beamed. "Thank you! I made it just before your arrival. Your old clothes are over there, all washed," she said, motioning at a corner of the room, to where Sakura's outfit was draped over her muddy-pink backpack. "That reminds me," she said, "you've met Syaoran, didn't you? I asked him to deliver the dress to you?"

Sakura nodded. How could she forget that humiliating scene?

As she tenderly pulled on the bandage, Tomoyo asked, "What do you think of him?"

Sakura's heartbeat quickened as she realized the petite girl had hit on one of the questions she wasn't keen on answering. "What do I think of him?" she said, keeping her voice casual. "Well... he's... very..." Dragging out her words, she stalled so she could rummage through her head for something to say. Something — _anything — _that was not insulting.

Her inner voice, nostalgically sounding like her big brother this time, spewed out a chain of words that expressed exactly what Sakura thought of Li. _**Self-absorbed, short-tempered, conceited, a total snob, unpleasant, unfeeling, robotic... **_it prattled on, not helping her situation at all. It was exactly what Touya himself would have said about Li.

Sakura furiously blocked the Touya-voice from her mind.

"He is... certainly a... clean person," she said, which was the most decent thing she could muster.

"Well, that is certainly true. Syaoran _is_ very organized. But," Tomoyo said, casting Sakura a knowing look, "tell me what you _really_ think of him."

Sakura was a little surprised at the girl's candor, and hesitated with her answer.

But gently: "There's nothing you can say that will surprise me. I have, after all, lived with Syaoran for as long as I can remember. You can be honest, Sakura-chan."

"If you really want to know..."

Tomoyo nodded encouragingly at her.

"He's the biggest jerk I have ever met," Sakura finished. She expected the other girl to defend her brother, or at least show a tiny amount of anger, but Tomoyo only laughed sweetly — not at all surprised or cross.

"A jerk, you say?" She chuckled again. "Well, I'll give you credit, Sakura-chan, for being honest. Most would have lied."

"You're not mad at me for saying that?"

"Why would I be? You're entitled to your own opinion, and I respect that. I would respect you less if you lied to me."

"Oh." She didn't want to think of what Tomoyo would do if she discovered just how much she had been lied to. "Then... what do _you_ think of him?"

"Me?" Tomoyo continued to struggle with Eriol's arm. "He's my brother, of course, so I think of him in all sorts of ways. Generally speaking, I think he's a serious and hardworking person who is always focused on whatever he's doing. He is kind"—Sakura resisted the urge to snort—"and treats his employees well. Although, he can be stubborn at times, but I love him anyway. Oh, these bandages are tough to get off."

"Do you get to see him often? Yamazaki mentioned something about him having his own company...?"

"Right. Syaoran is the president of Li Corp., if you've ever heard of it. He has to attend lots of meetings and he's very busy, but he comes home every day. Though he may seem like it, he's not a workaholic at all."

Sakura believed her, but frowned anyway. "But he looks so young. How'd he get so successful at his age?"

"He didn't. He inherited the company. I was to inherit it — since my mother owned it first — when I become of age. In the meantime, Syaoran's mother took over. The thing is, I'm not interested in being a CEO. So the company went to Syaoran. It's kind of confusing if you think about it." She gave Sakura another smile, but it faded when she examined Eriol's injury. The bandages were finally off.

"Sakura-chan... Come here."

In an instant, Sakura was at her friend's side. "What's wrong?" she asked, scared for Eriol.

_It's infected he's lost too much blood the cut is still bleeding because he has hemophilia the arm needs to be amputated dammit he's going to die it's all my fault if only we left that beach sooner— _

But Tomoyo shook her head slowly. "Nothing's wrong, exactly. It's just..." She looked at Sakura with bewildered eyes. "The wound is healed. Completely."

"Healed?"

"See for yourself." She moved to make room for Sakura.

"You're right," Sakura murmured, after touching the smooth skin of Eriol's arm. A close-to-invisible scar was the only indication that he'd been hurt at all. Then she peered at the old bandages, stained with his blood. A whole lot of blood. If the wound had bled that much, it couldn't have healed in a day's time.

"This isn't possible," Tomoyo said softly, confirming what Sakura had been thinking. "I think it would be best if we take him to a hospital, just to make sure there's noth—"

"No!" blurted Sakura, and Tomoyo looked at her strangely.

"Why not?" she asked.

_Because we've both run away from home, and the doctors would probably want to call our parents. _"Because the cut wasn't as serious as we had thought," replied Sakura evenly.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan? It looked pretty serious when I treated it."

"Positive." She tried to sound certain of what she was saying. "It was dark last night. The lack of light probably made things look worse than they really were."

Tomoyo's eyes still held a bit of worry, but she seemed to accept Sakura's explanation. "I won't need this, then," she said, holding up a roll of bandages, then stowed it into her messenger bag.

"Do you want to spend the night here, in case Hiiragizawa-kun wakes up? We have lots of space — or you could stay with me in my room, if you're not comfortable alone."

Sakura started. "Stay? Here?"

"Sure, I'd enjoy the company. Would you like to?"

_No, no, no, no, no. _Sakura could feel the panic rekindling, but she closed her eyes and pushed it away. She felt silly to be so afraid of staying inside a building, though she knew her fear was appropriate. She told Tomoyo, "I would love to stay, but I... have another dog to take care of. At home."

"I understand." If she suspected Sakura of lying, she masked it well. "At least let me arrange a ride for you. It's still raining out."

Sakura denied the proposal, for obvious reasons. "Besides, the rain is lightening up," she remarked weakly, motioning out the window at the storm, strong as ever.

"Watch over Eriol and Suppi-chan for me." And it wasn't until she said that did she realize that the black dog wasn't in the room. "Where _is _Suppi-chan?"

"Hiding from Kero-chan. They're running around somewhere."

"Oh. Try to keep them from killing each other, okay?"

"I'll take good care of them," Tomoyo promised, and Sakura somehow knew she really meant it. "Have a safe trip home, Sakura-chan. If Syaoran asks, I was never in this room. And here"—she stood and took a pink flower from the vase nearby—"have a peony." She went up to Sakura and tucked it into her hair.

After she stepped back and had a good look at Sakura, Tomoyo seemed greatly distraught all of a sudden. "Oh, no!" she cried. "Please tell me I didn't...!" She sharply turned around and seized her messenger bag, ransacking through it.

"What? What is it?" Fearing the worst, Sakura was ready to flee the room, certain that she had been recognized at last.

But Tomoyo emerged from her bag empty-handed, no cell phone to call the police. She laid her hand on her cheek delicately, looking upset. "You look so pretty in that dress, and I don't have my camera with me!" she said sadly.

* * *

Sakura was deeply relieved to be out of the room and away from Tomoyo's far-too-wise eyes. It could be her paranoia acting up, but she swore the girl knew something. She would have to be more careful from now on.

The manor was so vast that at first Sakura thought she'd have trouble finding the way out. But she easily spotted the main staircase, and once she reached the ground floor, she recognized the dining room directly ahead. She saw Yamazaki the same time he saw her, and before she could escape, he waved her in, looking so much more like himself. His ever-present smile was, well, present. Chiharu sat next to him leisurely sipping her tea, as if nothing in the world could bother her.

"You look better," Sakura said to Yamazaki.

He grinned. "All thanks to you," he replied. "I just knew, from the moment I saw you, that you're a good person."

"I didn't do anything yet," she reminded him.

He shrugged. "You said you would, and that's enough for us. Even though," he said, looking at Chiharu pointedly, "she wouldn't tell me what she's planning to do."

She smirked at him, taunting. "Can't tell you yet. It's a surprise."

He sighed, but he reached over and took her hand.

In that single action, Sakura saw just how truly he cared for his girlfriend. Sure, couples held hands all the time. But he held her hand with such tenderness that no one could question the love he had for her. And, by the way she smiled up at him, squeezing his hand back, Chiharu definitely reciprocated his love.

Their unconcealed love made Sakura feel awfully uneasy, but also very determined. There was no way she could back out of her agreement now, no matter how much she wanted to. She decided then that she'd do whatever it would take to give this couple a happy ending.

Thankfully they remembered they were no longer alone, and acknowledged Sakura's presence again. "Anyway, where are you headed off to?" Yamazaki asked. His hair lay fluffy and loose on his head, she noticed. The rain must have washed out the gel.

"Home," she said.

His face showed surprise and disappointment. "Aw, already? What about your brother, is he okay?"

"He's fine, resting upstairs where you left him. I'm picking him up tomorrow." She bit her lip at the thought of leaving her closest friend alone in a foreign place. She didn't even know what city she was in.

"Takashi-kun can drive you home," Chiharu offered. "It's the least we can do for you."

Sakura turned away, not wanting a repeat of the conversation she had with Tomoyo. "Thanks, but it's okay, I'll walk. I want the two of you to enjoy your time here." She made herself smile at the pair.

They smiled back. "You're so considerate, Kinomoto-san," said Yamazaki, staring at her with much respect. Respect that she didn't feel she deserved.

Fidgeting with her fingers, she said, "Well... I guess I'm going now. I'll see you two later."

"Later, Sakura-chan," said Chiharu.

Not knowing what else to do, Sakura stupidly gave a wave goodbye, and she moved out of the room. But before she got too far away, she heard Yamazaki calling her back.

"Yes?" she said, trying to sound irritated. Oddly, though, she wasn't. Irritated, that is.

He didn't catch her faux-impatience. "Can you do something for me before you go?" he asked, but Chiharu slapped his arm.

"Idiot, can't you tell she wants to leave?" she scolded. "Get off your lazy butt and do it yourself."

Yamazaki looked somewhat guilty, so Sakura jumped in to save him from his girlfriend, who had already begun acting like his wife.

"No, it's okay," she told them, deciding that doing one more favor wouldn't hurt. "What do you need?"

He glanced at Chiharu, but she only sighed and leaned into her seat, his invitation to continue. He pushed forward a box the size of a softball, with a blue bow on top of it. "Can you give this to Daidouji-san? And tell her, 'Happy White Day'?"

"Sure." Sakura took the gift. "Is it White Day already?" she wondered out loud.

"It was yesterday, actually. I, uh, forgot that she'd given me a Valentine's Day present," he said, his face reddening, "until Chiharu-chan reminded me."

"Ah," said Sakura in understanding. She gave the box a shake. "What's in here?"

"It's a new case for her camcorder. Her old one got torn. Really badly."

"Takashi-kun was the one who ripped it," Chiharu added, probably for the sole purpose of seeing her boyfriend blush again, which he didn't fail to do.

Sakura looked at her. "What did he get you?" she asked Chiharu.

Chiharu suddenly looked pained, though she tried to hide it. And when she answered, Sakura knew why.

"A glass heart. He made it for me at a glassblowing class."

That must have been the same heart Sakura had seen her holding earlier, shattered from the shock of her father's cruel announcement. "Oh. That was nice of him," she said as she swore silently. Could she _ever _say anything to Chiharu without triggering her unpleasant memories?

Just then, her mind registered the date and the importance of it, and the gasp came out before she could stifle it.

"Something the matter?" Chiharu asked, with an inquisitive tilt of her head.

"Um, no, nothing," said Sakura, and she felt her cheeks getting warm. "I just... forgot yesterday was White Day, too."

Without warning, Yamazaki leaped up from his seat and leaned across the table. "You know, speaking of White Day," he piped, with one finger held up, "the idea for the holiday was actually taken from the Scandinavians. Japan wasn't the first to celebrate it."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked. "Really?"

He gave an enthusiastic nod. "Six hundred years ago, Scandinavia began—"

He was cut off when Chiharu clamped her hand over his mouth and pulled him back into his seat. "Sakura-chan, _go,_" she said firmly. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Sakura blinked. "Well... I'll make sure Tomoyo gets this, then," she said, unsure of what had happened. "Um... bye." She clutched the box to her chest, feeling like laughing at her stupidity.

Because she had just learned the cause of her bizarre behavior.

It was the fifteenth of March, the day after White Day. If she remembered correctly, that date meant that she had approximately one more week, until it would be that time she so dreaded. That time of the month.

Those unexpected moments of exhaustion, snapping at Chiharu, her swaying moods, the frequent blushing — it wasn't the fault of the domestic environment, after all. Everything had been caused by that damned feminine cycle the female species had to endure every four weeks or so.

In short, Sakura had been PMSing all day.

She couldn't decide whether to groan or be relieved. This realization meant that she'd have to deal with the complications that cycle brought, which she'd rather not do with all that had happened recently. She remembered that Eriol was always wary around her when this time arrived, because of how unstable she became. On the other hand, she didn't feel the urgent need to leave the building anymore, now that she knew it was, at the moment, safe to stay. But she couldn't just turn back and declare to everyone that she changed her mind. Could she? She still had to bring Yamazaki's present to Tomoyo. She looked toward the exit, then back to the stairs.

She was still debating when she saw him.

She lost all sense of direction the moment she caught sight of Li coming down from the second floor, looking very businesslike as he shuffled through some papers, despite the random towel draped over his shoulder. It was as if everything else had fallen away — she could only see Li as he strolled down those stairs with that superiority of his she despised. She was startled by how strongly she disliked him.

Sensing her company, he glimpsed up and they locked gazes, if only for a moment. Sakura immediately stared straight ahead and away from those probing amber eyes, set on not saying a peep to him. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She didn't even care which way she was headed, just as long as she could pass by him without having to extend her claws. Saying hello would be the polite thing to do, but Li didn't really come off as the type to exchange petty greetings. And Sakura didn't really want to talk to him. So she kept her mouth shut and focused on keeping her balance, holding her head high.

She would have succeeded... if Li had kept _his _mouth shut.

"Searching for more of my sister's things to take, are you?" he said, just as they crossed paths.

He lit the fuse. And Sakura was the dynamite. Clenching her teeth, she told herself to ignore him and walk away. But her body didn't listen. She angrily turned to him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stop. If he were a bit shorter they'd be standing face-to-face, since the heels Sakura wore added several inches to her height. He wasn't quite as tall as Eriol, who was already brushing six feet.

"I am _not _a thief!" she fumed. "Why can't you get that through your thick head?" She tightened her hold on him until it was nearly vise-like, hoping it would be enough to cut off his circulation.

To her displeasure, Li didn't even flinch, much less lose consciousness. His eyes dropped to where her hand invaded his person, then to the peony in her hair, and went back to glaring into her eyes. For a moment, she thought he'd yank himself free and leave without saying anything, but he didn't move.

"That's not what the scene at the park told me," he said, speaking in that flat tone she hated, _hated _so much.

Sakura couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes. "Will you give that up? I wasn't going to take the wristband," she said, though she knew it was a lie as the words came out of her mouth. Li knew it too.

"Of course you weren't. And where, exactly, are you planning to go with those clothes?"

She dug her fingernails into his arm. Without anything to trim them, she had to bite her nails whenever they grew long, leaving them jagged and uneven. "I," she growled, "am planning to go home with these clothes, as I do not plan on walking in the rain naked. And I will _return_"—she made sure to give that word plenty of emphasis—"tomorrow with these clothes so I can give them back to your sister, and do you know why I'm going to do this? Because I — am — not — a — thief!"

His accusations hurt her, and she couldn't figure out why. She had trained herself to not be affected by people's opinions. She was, as he'd stated, a thief. And that was a fact. At least, she _had_ been one, in the past. But once Eriol came into the picture, stealing was no longer required, so she stopped. She tried to not think about them much, her previous methods of surviving. Remorse was not a friend.

Her tired fingers had loosened against his arm. Noting this, Li pulled back. Something Sakura was sure was revulsion shuddered through her body as his hand accidentally brushed past hers. Li's hand felt smooth in contrast to hers, which were rough from swinging up trees and doing everything manually. Without the luxury of maids doing everything for her.

Standing as close as they dared, they glared at each other, green into amber. Li spoke first.

"Just know this. You bother Tomoyo in any way, take anything of hers, _think _about taking anything of hers, and you will _not _be allowed back in here, under any circumstances. Get it?"

Sakura almost laughed into his face. So that was what this was all about: a case of over-protectiveness. She hadn't expected such from Li. "Don't you worry. I wouldn't dream of hurting her," she said. That was the most truthful thing she said to him so far.

Sakura spun around and marched out through the doors with as much dignity as she could gather. Behind her, she could hear Li walking away, not sparing her a second thought.

The storm, if anything, had gotten worse. Rain fell heavily enough to mar her vision, stung every inch of her body like ice-cold needles. If that weren't enough, the ruthless, brutal gales contributed to Sakura's misery. She was soaked to the bone in seconds. She needed to find a shelter, and quickly. Shielding her eyes with her hands, she looked up briefly to locate the main gates: straight ahead. She took a breath and broke into a run toward the exit.

Then, she was reminded that her footwear wasn't suitable for running when she slipped, her feet flying out beneath her.

Luck was on her side, as she had landed in the grass; the concrete would have definitely shredded Tomoyo's dress. She vaguely felt something slip out of her hands and roll a short distance away.

She wanted to just lay there. Her face had numbed from the continuous rain; it didn't bother her anymore. It felt good, even, to give in to the rhythmic beat of raindrops striking the ground, striking her bare skin. She was so sick of falling, of tripping, being helpless. It was a comfort to surrender. She only wanted to sleep, and she didn't feel like finding a roof to crawl under, away from the wetness. Just a nap, then she'd be all better, all prepared to face what tomorrow would bring. The last thing her eyes focused on before closing was a box lying by her feet.

_A small box... _

_With a blue bow..._

_That I had been holding..._

That was all it took to get Sakura up again, snapping out of her fatigue.

_...Tomoyo's present!_

She scrambled over to the box and snatched it up. Closer inspection showed that a thin layer of plastic covered the box, protected it from the rain. Good, the gift was intact. She hugged it close.

In her haste to escape Li's haughty presence, she had pushed Tomoyo's gift completely out of her mind. She could just wait until she came back the next day to deliver it. But what if Yamazaki mentioned the gift to Li? Li would ask Tomoyo, who in reply would say she never received said gift. Li must have seen Sakura with the box as she was leaving. It wouldn't take long before he came to a conclusion. Without meaning to, Sakura had given him a valid reason to call her a thief. And she could not let that happen, not after her reaction to his accusation earlier. He might not permit her back into his home. The gift had to make it to Tomoyo. Somehow.

She picked herself up, slightly swaying from the weight of her rain-soaked clothing, and trudged back to the building. Halfway there, she stopped short in her tracks, noticed the condition she was in. She must have looked as though someone had dumped a bucket of water over her head. She was a fright. The dress she was wearing had turned almost translucent, plastered to her body like a second skin. She couldn't risk having Li see her in such a state of indecency, if he answered the door.

She would just have to sneak in, then.

Her plan was this: find a window, climb through, seek out the nearest maid, and ask her to pass on the gift to Tomoyo. Nothing could go wrong with a plan so simple. Sakura would just have to trust the maids to keep quiet about her sneaking in. She didn't want to use that other term — breaking and entering. There wasn't anything illegal about what she intended to do.

Luckily, the windows were low to the ground. Sakura moved to one she was closest to. The curtains were drawn, and she couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing, if it was locked or not. Nonetheless, she went on with the plan, sticking the box inside her dress. She placed her palms on the glass and applied pressure, pushing upwards. It was slick and her hands kept sliding off. Then she felt the window give way the tiniest bit. Encouraged, she pushed harder. It moved more, and Sakura kept at it until she could slip her fingers underneath. She yanked it up, brushed aside the curtains, and stuck one leg inside.

This room was even more massive than the one Eriol was in... and not like one she should be intruding. It definitely looked like some sort of master bedroom, with the carpet, dark walls, and king-sized bed. It was unmade, a definite sign that someone had recently been in this room. But her leg was already dripping water onto the floor. Might as well go on.

A noise stopped her cold, the sound of someone approaching the room. Then that someone touching the doorknob. Turning it. Opening the door. About to find Sakura, half of her in the room.

She tried to pull her leg back out. Too quickly. She felt herself lose her balance on the leg remaining outside — felt herself falling backwards onto the concrete, unable to silence her cry.

"Who's there?" demanded the person, and Sakura wanted to scream at her luck. It was Li's voice, and Li's room she had chosen to break in. She got on all fours and scrambled to the side of the building, faster than she ever thought herself capable of moving when on her knees. She sat still, listening hard, heart beating equally hard. Inside, Li was talking to someone else. She couldn't make out the words or the second voice. A door closed, and then it was quiet.

Sakura stayed in her spot a minute more, just to be sure it was okay to leave. She removed the box from her dress. It would have to be returned the next day. She'd learned her lesson — no more sneaking in.

She moved slowly, feeling that if she moved too hastily somebody would see her. She was wishing the rain camouflaged her.

She tensed as she felt a light tap on the shoulder. A voice, male and elderly, accompanied the tap.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said.

Facing the person, she saw his identity — Wei. The old butler held an umbrella above his head. She relaxed, knowing it wasn't Li, but not completely. Wei and Li seemed awfully close.

"Yes, sir?" she said, going with a polite approach.

"Were you the one at Syaoran-sama's window?"

Sakura nodded slowly. She knew she should get used to the bluntness of the tenants of the mansion. "I... I was." Like she could deny it.

"Are you one of his... admirers?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Admirers?" Somehow she knew that wasn't the word Wei was searching for.

Clearing his throat, he said, "You are not the first to try to climb in through Syaoran-sama's window, Miss. There have been many before you. All were admirers."

Sakura found this amusing, but Wei's face was solemn. "No, I can't say I'm an 'admirer.'"

"Then, why you were trying to enter his room?" Wei spoke with the endless patience of someone with much wisdom.

This struck her as a chance to have the gift delivered at last. She held out the box to the elderly man. "I was trying to get this to Tomoyo. I'd forgotten to give it to her. Can you do it for me? I don't want to get the floor wet."

He took it from her. "Of course, Miss. Should I tell Syaoran-sama this was your intention?"

"Yes," answered Sakura right away. "Please stress it. That I only wanted to give something to his sister. And that I'm not an admirer. Will you do that?"

"I will. Whom should I say this message is from?"

She started to give Eriol's last name but stopped. "Sakura. Just Sakura."

"Yes, Sakura-san. I'll be sure to tell him. Until next time." Wei bowed at her. He started back to the mansion with Tomoyo's present. She stared after him until he made it inside.

Sakura heaved a great sigh. At long last, her mission was completed. Now she could leave this place and get away from the horrible storm, which was mercifully subsiding.

And again, just after she exited through the gates, her attention was drawn back to the mansion. This time, it was Kero. And he brought some things with him. He skidded to a stop at her feet and barked.

"What... what is this?" She bent down, untying the things Kero carried on his back. An umbrella and a roll of bandages. She looked at the puppy. "Did Wei send you out here?" she asked him.

Kero barked again. Sakura couldn't tell what that was supposed to mean, if it meant anything.

"Well, tell Wei thanks. I owe him for this. See you later." She waved goodbye to the pup.

Surprisingly, Kero understood her and went back to where he came. Sakura continued her walking, and this time she wasn't pelted by raindrops. She held on tightly to the bandages.

This town, whatever it was, didn't have many alleys; it took ten minutes until she found one, and it was very narrow, just wide enough to fit the umbrella in. Sakura camped under her umbrella roof as she wrapped the bandages around her knees, bloody from crawling on the ground.

After that, she promptly fell asleep, her PMS getting the better of her.

* * *

Syaoran lingered at his window after he sent Wei out to investigate, quietly watching the scene between the old butler and the girl in the green dress. He saw them exchange words, then she handed Wei a box that had a bow adorning the top, probably a gift for someone. It certainly didn't seem like she stole it. Why else would she return it?

He didn't entirely believe his own words, when he called her a thief. Back at the park, he'd been in a rush, late for an important business meeting. He would have snapped at anyone in his way. Besides that, he didn't think that he'd ever run into her again. And yet, there she stood, just several meters from his window.

There was something unusual about that girl, even if she weren't a criminal, something that bothered him. The way that dress clung to her body emphasized how skinny she was. He knew about girls her age, the image-obsessed ones — and he was grateful Tomoyo wasn't like them. They liked to starve themselves until they were skeletal thin, on the brink of death. But somehow he knew that wasn't why she looked like she did. She wasn't bony, just really thin — no muscle, subtle curves. He pushed back his sleeve, saw the bruises she left. By the way she squeezed his arm, she was stronger than her body suggested, which meant she ate on a regular basis. A vegetarian, maybe? One of those health nuts?

He kept his eyes on the girl as Wei talked to her, and caught notice of other things. Like how she struggled to stand upright with those too small, too high heels. How she was completely drenched, her face shining with rainwater. Her hair hung in her face in wet, stringy clumps. Her knees were scraped and bloody.

Before he could change his mind, he left the window and opened his bedroom door. Perfect timing. A maid was walking by, idling.

"Hey," Syaoran called out. He didn't know her name. She was one of the younger, more timid ones.

For some reason, she made a strangled sound and her eyes bugged out when she saw him. When he followed her eyes to see what she was staring at, he discovered his mistake. The only thing he had on was a towel — that had slipped down a tad too low around his hips — from his brief shower. The maid ogled, frozen in her spot.

Syaoran wasn't stupid. He knew what the maids who worked for him thought of him, since they didn't bother to hide their stares. Or whispers. Or giggles. The girls from Tomoyo's high school did the same when he sometimes drove her home. It made things easier to ignore the attention, and he rarely noticed it anymore. He wanted no business with those girls. He didn't understand why they acted like that, but he did eventually learn that it was never a good idea to have his shirt off. It was almost a relief to be despised, like that Sakura character clearly did.

Ignoring the staring, he ordered, "Get me one of the dogs. Quickly."

The maid broke out of her trance. "Of course, Li-sama. Right away," she stammered. A deep blush colored her cheeks as she hustled through the dining room and into the kitchen.

Syaoran went back into his room and wisely threw on some clothes.

A instant later, the maid returned with a wriggling puppy. She looked both disappointed and thankful to see that Syaoran wasn't half naked anymore. "Kero-chan was the first one I found, Li-sama," she said, setting the puppy on the ground.

Syaoran eyed the teeny yellow creature cynically, which eyed him back. "It's too small," he decided. "But it will have to do. You're dismissed," he said to the maid. His words had come out harsher than intended, and she left in such a rush that she neglected her customary curtsy. It wasn't like he cared much for formalities, anyway.

He turned to the puppy, which the maid had called Kero-chan. He recognized this one, the runt of the new litter. After all, Tomoyo did ask him to name it. She must have not liked the name he'd chosen — Kerberos — and shortened it to Kero. Syaoran just hoped it was trained to obey orders.

With the pup watching, he pulled open the window he'd been looking out of. A small umbrella lay at the foot of his bed. He picked that up, went to the bathroom to get a roll of bandages, found some thin rope in the drawer of his bedside table, and strapped the items to the pup. Kerberos was so tiny that, at an aerial view, he almost disappeared under the umbrella, and yet he carried it without any effort.

"I want you," said Syaoran, semi-self-conscious to be speaking to a puppy, "to run outside"—he pointed out the window—"and go directly to that girl over there. Understand?"

For a moment, Kerberos only stared at Syaoran with big puppy eyes, giving the impression that he understood none of Syaoran's instructions. But then he stood up on his stumpy legs and darted out into the rain.

The girl had finished her conversation with Wei and had gone beyond the gates. Kerberos sprinted after her, squeezing through the gates as they closed behind him. Satisfied, Syaoran turned from the window.

He switched into more comfortable clothing and dropped onto his bed. What a day. First his car had broken down, so he had to carpool with Yamazaki. Yamazaki was his best friend, but Syaoran had to admit that it was difficult to spend an hour with the guy — and in a cramped space, no less — without getting a migraine. Later, at the business meeting, a worker who had some very important files with him couldn't make it because his wife had gone into labor. And now, this strange girl. He'd have to watch her more carefully the next time she came over, maybe find out more about her. For now, he put his arms behind his head and allowed himself some time to rest, listening to Kerberos's indignant barks to be let back in.

* * *

**A/N**: About this fic, I've been thinking long and hard about it. No, not just this fic, but writing on altogether. I've been thinking about quitting. The reason: I feel that I'm letting my readers down with my rare updates. I write SO SLOWLY, and I hate knowing that I'm making anyone wait. I've dreamed about becoming an author for years, about being published, but at the rate I'm going, I doubt that's going to happen. I love this fic, I really do, and I have so many ideas for future chapters. But I don't know if I should continue it if I can't write fast enough. I write because I like it when I make people happy with my words, which I can't do if I don't update.

What do you think? Should I give up on writing for this site? I can always try to write faster, if people are willing to wait. Please leave a review/PM for me commenting on the fic or replying to my question. I'd really appreciate it, especially if you're a new reader.

Until next time,

- Mimi


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